BlackBerry CEO sued over sexual harassment
Senior ranks at company allegedly knew of incident
A former BlackBerry Ltd. employee has filed a lawsuit against the company and its new chief executive John Giamatteo, who she claims sexually harassed her and then retaliated against her after she reported the behaviour.
The complainant, a Californiabased woman of colour who worked for the Waterloo, Ont.based tech company for more than a decade, including in several senior roles, alleges members of the firm’s leadership ranks were aware of her complaints when Giamatteo was named CEO in December.
The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court on Wednesday hours before the tech firm was due to report its fourth-quarter results.
The complainant, known as Jane Doe in court documents, alleges her treatment at BlackBerry violated both the U.S. labour code and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and resulted in her wrongful termination.
No charges have been laid and the allegations have not been proven in court. An answer to the complaint has not been filed.
“BlackBerry and Mr. Giamatteo believe that these allegations are without merit and intend to vigorously defend against them,” BlackBerry said in a statement.
“BlackBerry is committed to maintaining a respectful and productive work environment free from discrimination and harassment. To this end, we do not tolerate, condone, or ignore workplace discrimination or harassment or any unlawful behaviour. We conducted an extensive investigation, which found no evidence of wrongdoing or violations of the company code of conduct.”
A law firm named as representing Giamatteo in the court documents did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his behalf.
In her court filing, she alleges her career was “derailed” when Giamatteo became the president of BlackBerry’s cybersecurity business in October 2021.
She alleges he asked her to consider working for him so they could “travel together.”
In an interview, the complainant said the suggestion of travelling together was raised the first time she met Giamatteo, when she was expecting the conversation to be introductory in nature.
In the complaint, she alleges she politely rejected Giamatteo’s suggestion, telling him she was not looking to change her reporting structure.
In early 2023, the complainant says she reported his conduct to human resources.
Later that year, court records claim that she co-operated with an investigation by law firm Morrison and Foerster and notified the company’s interim chief executive, Richard Lynch, of her allegations.
On Dec. 4, the complainant says she was told she was being terminated effective immediately as part of a “restructuring.”