SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Levi Strauss & Co. has filed legal action against a former employee over a statement made about her in the media.
Jennifer Sey worked at Levi Strauss for more than 20 years until her resignation in February. Media attention followed, and Bloomberg published an article titled “How One Rogue Exec Thrust Levi’s Into The Culture Wars.”
In the article, Levi Strauss executive assistant Brian Nixon is quoted as saying about Sey: “She was repeatedly attacking obese people, old people. She was anti-vax, anti-mask, and that wasn’t following the science, in my mind…”
Sey’s lawyer issued a cease and desist letter to Bloomberg and Levi Strauss that demanded retraction of the statement. It called it “blatantly false, misleading, reckless and defamatory.”
On May 3, Levi Strauss filed a complaint for declaratory relief in San Francisco Superior Court, asking a judge to declare the company isn’t liable for any defamation resulting from the article.
“LS&Co. disputes Ms. Sey’s contentions and denies that it is liable to Ms. Sey on any basis for the statement because… the statement is opinion and, if not opinion, is true, and because LS&Co. did not make the statement or publish the article,” the suit says.
Sey has threatened legal action against the company, the suit says. Craig Cardon, Valerie Alter and Benjamin Aigboboh of Sheppard Mullin are representing Levi Strauss.