A former attorney for Zara reportedly filed a $40 million lawsuit against the fashion chain this week, claiming he was fired for being “Jewish, American and gay.”
Ian Miller claims he was subjected to homophobic, racist and anti-Semetic harrassment while working for the Spanish fashion giant, and was ultimately fired for these reasons.
Ian who was general counsel for Zara USA Inc from 2008 until March 2015, filed the suit in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan this week.
Zara operates more than 2,000 stores in 88 countries.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit states that the attorney was excluded from meetings, given smaller raises than his colleagues and was subjected to racist, homophobic and anti-Semetic remarks.
Miller apparently claims that the senior-level employees who harrassed him were protected from punishment by Zara’s founder, Amancio Ortega Gaona.
Miller was subsequently fired when he reported his discrimination concerns, reports Reuters.
Miller was fired from the chain earlier this year.
Miller’s attorney David Sanford stated: “Zara overlooked Mr. Miller’s stellar performance, marginalized his role in the company, and gave him lower raises than employees who fit the company’s preferred profile.”
However, Zara’s parent company Inditex SA, the largest fashion retailer in the world will fight the claims.
“We do not tolerate any behavior that is discriminatory or disrespectful, but value each individual’s contributions to our dynamic organization,” the company said.
