A sensational sexual harassment case has revealed chilling, unsolicited comments a Sydney jeweler made to a female employee.
In texts revealed in court, 45-year-old Simon Grew commented on her appearance, asked her out repeatedly and at one point slapped her on the bottom.
Federal Court Judge Anna Katzmann awarded Fiona Taylor, 35, $172,018.23 USD in damages – a record under the Sex Discrimination Act – after finding she was harassed by Grew, owner of Grew & Co, and victimized after filing a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
The judgment found Grew harassed Taylor when he “slapped her on the bottom” in 2019 and twice confessed his feelings for her in 2020.
In texts revealed in court, 45-year-old Simon Grew commented on his former employee’s appearance, asked her out repeatedly and at one point slapped her on the bottom.YouTube/KochiesBiz
Excitement turned to horror
Taylor started working at the boutique jeweler in January 2018 and according to the judge was initially “excited”, given that the culture was “friendly and welcoming”.
He explained he felt he “finally” had a boss who recognized his talent and championed it.
Although Taylor was quickly promoted, things turned sour when Mr Grew admitted he had feelings for her in January 2020.
“I’ve developed feelings for you,” she claims he told her. “I can’t take it anymore…..I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. We get along well, we like the same things. Me – my children don’t need a mother, they need a friend…”
Grew made the comments despite knowing Ms Taylor was in a relationship.
He repeatedly told her he wasn’t interested, including in a text exchange three weeks later, in which he wrote he wanted to “put some boundaries and “keep things relevant between us”.
However, she claims Grew continued to pursue her, repeating her feelings in June 2020 while driving home.
Federal Court Judge Anna Katzmann awarded Fiona Taylor, 35, $172,018.23 USD in damages.YouTube/KochiesBiz
Unsolicited gifts
During her time at the jeweler, Taylor claims her boss gifted her numerous unsolicited items — 19 in fact — including a quilted black Chanel coin purse, a Michael Kors bomber jacket and jewelry, some worth thousands of dollars.
At one point, Taylor testified that Grew closed the door in their shared office and asked her to try on the jacket in front of him, something she disputed.
When “he saw that it fit quite well” he “suggested we go up a size” and he “awkwardly said yes”.
Inappropriate comments
Grew’s text messages and comments over a long period of time highlight his inappropriate behavior.
Taylor said Grew made a statement to the effect of “I like curvy petite brunettes”; “You have a very nice body”; “You have a beautiful body”; and “You have bedroom eyes.”
In a text message, he told her: “There is so much goodness in you!” and “You’re not just enough, you’re actually 100 percent perfect.”
In another she commented: “Even your ‘flaws’ are perfect” and “Not sure if I mentioned how great you look today but if I did something worth dealing with, have a great weekend.”
The judgment found Taylor became anxious, withdrawn and now has difficulty sleeping as a result of what happened.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
