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US woman accuses Gucci of age and mental-health discrimination

Tracy Cohen alleges fashion label forced her to work around the clock and fired her for formally complaining about conditions

Cohen’s suit refers to eight cases alleging that Gucci officials, between 2010 and 2022, maintained sweatshop conditions in China, forced pregnant workers to have abortions, ignored sexual harassment claims, and even required women to wear straitjackets on the modelling runway against their will. She said that left her feeling as if there was no internal support available, and she filed complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as well as the Illinois human rights department, alleging discrimination over her age, gender and battles with anxiety and depression. Holder – whose past clients include 50 plaintiffs who settled a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Twin Peaks restaurant chain – said attorneys for Gucci threatened to seek legal sanctions against her if she didn’t remove the trafficking allegations.

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