Fabio Silva v. Giorgio Armani Corp., Et. Al.

Case Type: Employment Discrimination

Company: Giorgio Armani

September 15, 2015, New York – It’s Fashion Week in New York – even in New York County Supreme Court, where Sanford Heisler Sharp today filed suit against famed Italian designer Giorgio Armani.

The suit asserts Armani, his corporations and executives discriminated against and fired Fabio Silva, former General Counsel and Vice-President for Legal Affairs at Giorgio Armani Corporation, because Silva was Mexican and diagnosed with cancer.

Silva came to the U.S. as a young child, leveraging support from his family and a strong personal work ethic to complete the University of California and Stanford Law School. Mr. Silva also received a degree from Parsons School of Design in order to prepare himself for a legal career in the fashion industry. Prior to joining Giorgio Armani Corporation as General Counsel in 2014, he was employed at Burberry, Tory Burch and Fab.com.

During his tenure at Giorgio Armani Corporation, the company’s Chief Financial Officer informed General Counsel Silva he did not trust Mexicans, and thereafter subjected Mr. Silva to increased scrutiny and discriminatory treatment. When General Counsel Silva reported this treatment to Chief Operations Officer, Giorgio Fornari, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Lucinda Rosso, General Counsel Silva was berated for complaining. General Counsel Silva was then denied a raise for reporting the discrimination.

According to today’s Complaint, Armani responded to Silva’s reports of discrimination and his announcement of a cancer diagnosis by firing him in July 2015, despite General Counsel Silva’s exceptional record of performance as General Counsel at both Giorgio Armani Corporation and Presidio International, Inc.

“The Armani brand is synonymous with high fashion and understated elegance, but there was nothing elevated or subtle about Giorgio Armani Corporation’s treatment of Mr. Silva,” said David Sanford, lead counsel for Silva and founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp a leading public interest law firm. “Despite being an extraordinary attorney and well qualified and experienced in the fashion world, Mr. Silva was subjected to retaliation and termination due to his complaining about discrimination in the workplace. Soon after Mr. Silva protested Armani’s treatment to the Chief Operations Officer, and just minutes after Mr. Silva informed defendant Rosso that his cancer diagnosis was confirmed, Rosso terminated his employment. Such treatment is never in style.”

The suit alleges Armani, the two companies and both corporate executives violated New York City’s Human Rights Law with respect to creating a hostile work environment, retaliation, unlawful discharge based on national origin and unlawful discharge based on disability. The suit requests a jury trial and damages — including lost compensation, back pay, front pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages — in excess of $75 million, as well as all legal fees and related costs, and interest.

The suit names the following as defendants: Giorgio Armani; Manhattan-based Giorgio Armani Corporation; Armani’s New York-based retail subsidiary Presidio International, Inc.; Giorgio Fornari, Chief Operations Officer of Giorgio Armani Corporation; and  Lucinda Rosso, Senior Vice-President of Organizational Development and Human Resources at Giorgio Armani Corporation.