Super retail group : Super Retail Group has denied workplace harassment charges brought against the company by its former chief legal officer Rebecca Farrell, vowing to defend its stance in court.
The company acknowledged in a stock exchange filing that it had been advised of a statement of claim filed by a former employee, represented by Harmers Workplace Lawyers, in the Federal Court of Australia.
However, Harmers Workplace Lawyers stated that it is representing four whistleblowers against Super Retail Group, one of whom provided the company with a statement of claim.
The law firm also stated that Super Retail Group failed to disclose that the litigation will extend to its MD and CEO, Anthony Heraghty.
The accusations include the alleged failure to disclose an intimate relationship between Heraghty and former chief human resources officer Jane Kelly (who is not one of the claimants).
Harmers Workplace Lawyers further stated that a third party, unrelated to the Rebel and Supercheap Auto parent companies, submitted information to the legal firm regarding Heraghty and Kelly’s previously hidden relationship.
The legal firm stated that the accused company says that the relationship, which allegedly impacted governance issues, began in January of this year.
“The deliberate misrepresentations by SRG, and an internal campaign of suppression via fear, is threatening the safety of the whistleblowers concerned and a number of SRG staff,” according to the law company.
In April, the business stated that it expected two employees to jointly seek $30 million to $50 million in losses and damages in court.
According to the corporation, the claims included inappropriate company travel; bullying, victimization, and harsh treatment; assigning unreasonable workloads to certain corporate employees, providing insufficient resources and limiting access to information; and poor company record management.
