Guess co-founder Paul Marciano is out.
Following allegations of sexual harassment and a subsequent investigation, Marciano resigned as executive chairman on Tuesday.
Allegations included “inappropriate comments and texts and unwanted advances including kissing and groping.” Investigators reviewed approximately 1.5 million pages of documents and interviewed more than 40 people. Nevertheless, Guess was unable to conclusively determine the veracity of the allegations leveled against Marciano in its investigation.
In its filing, Guess said that “many of the allegations could not be corroborated,” but did note that “on certain occasions Paul Marciano exercised poor judgment in his communications with models and photographers.” In addition, the investigation found that Marciano did “place himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise.”
Guess said that Marciano reached settlements with five individuals, totaling $500,000. The names of the individuals were not released; however, supermodel Kate Upton has been public with her allegations of harassment and unwanted advances.
Marciano’s resignation was reportedly voluntary. He plans to step down from the company’s board at the end of his contract on Jan. 30. Marciano had already stepped away from day-to-day operations in February after the company opened its investigation into his conduct. His older brother and fellow co-founder Maurice has been appointed chairman.