PHILADELPHIA — A former employee is suing Swarovski North America Ltd. and Swarovski Retail Ventures Ltd., a crystal giftware manufacturer, citing alleged retaliation and sex discrimination.
Carl Hildenbrand, a Collingdale man, filed a complaint on April 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Swarovski alleging that the crystal giftware manufacturer violated the Civil Rights Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he has suffered damages, injuries and losses and will continue to suffer irreparable injury and monetary damages. The plaintiff holds Swarovski responsible because the defendant his manager allegedly treated him in a hostile and confrontational manner, subjected him to unjustified criticism and undermined him in front of his staff. The supervisor allegedly did not place the same restrictions imposed on his store to the other stores under her supervision, and allegedly terminated the plaintiff on April 16, 2014.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks a declaration that the act and practices cited in the suit are a violation of complained herein is in violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance, compensation for damages for emotional upset, mental anguish, humiliation, pain and suffering, pre-judgement interest, costs of this litigation and attorneys' fees, punitive damages and for such other relief as the court deems appropriate. He is represented by Stephen G. Console and Nicholas R. Romeu of Console Law Offices LLC in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-01880