MILAN – Philipp Plein has been cleared of homophobia allegations by the New York State Supreme Court.
As reported last year, a former manager of Philipp Plein Americas Inc., Amro Alsoleibi, sued the fashion designer and the American arm of his brand in a New York court, claiming he was discriminated against in the workplace and retaliated against, ultimately resulting in his wrongful firing.
Now the Supreme Court has ruled that Alsoleibi, who joined the brand in 2018, “used false claims of homophobia to deflect from misdeeds within Philipp Plein Americas Inc. which led to his termination in 2019.”
As confirmed by the Supreme Court, during his appointment Alsoleibi had worked out a plan to extract funds from his employer by awarding a series of contracts for recruitment services on behalf of Philipp Plein Americas Inc. to his friend and roommate Talal Atassi without informing or obtaining authorization from the company. The court decreed that the discovery of this plan by the Plein Group resulted in Alsoleibi’s immediate termination.
Alsoleibi had claimed that his termination was due to his sexual orientation and HIV-positive status, and took place in retaliation for his multiple complaints about defendants’ unlawful employment policies and hostile work environment.
“I am very pleased about this decision which sets the record straight and responds to the despairing attempt of Mr. Alsoleibi to discredit my reputation in order to try make money on my back,” said Plein.
“My...
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