Davidar harassment suit settled out of court
The sexual harassment scandal that cost David Davidar his job as president of Penguin Canada has been buried with his accuser Lisa Rundle settling her lawsuit with him and the publishing company amicably.
The Indian-born boss of Penguin Canada was sacked June 8 following a sexual harassment complaint by Rundle. Initially, both Penguin and Davidar said he was leaving voluntarily.
In her lawsuit, Ms Rundle, former director of digital publishing and foreign rights at the publishing company, had sought $523,000 from Penguin for sexual harassment for three years and then an assault by Mr Davidar at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
The scandal ended quietly Tuesday with all the three parties settling the lawsuit and pledging not to divulge anything to the media.
“We can now advise that all allegations have been addressed and all matters resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. None of the parties will be commenting further to the media,” Mr David Davidar’s lawyer Peter Downard said in an e-mail to media outlets on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Penguin also confirmed that “everything has been settled” amicably. It was not known how much Penguin Canada and Mr Davidar will pay Ms Rundle.
Following the lawsuit, Mr Davidar had admitted only a “consensual flirtatious relationship” with Ms Lisa Rundle. “David Davidar has not sexually harassed anyone and has not assaulted anyone...,” his lawyer had said in a statement June 20.
“Commencing in late 2005, Mr Davidar and Lisa Rundle had offices next to each other at Penguin...in 2007, their friendship became flirtatious,” the lawyer had said, admitting that “the former Penguin-Canada CEO and Mr Davidar kissed on two occasions”.
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