American Apparel boss ‘forced sex on employee’

Dov Charney, American Apparel's founder and CEO, stands accused of turning teenage employee Irene Morales into a personal sex slave, sexually abusing her at his home in downtown Manhattan.

According to Ms Morales's lawsuit, which demands an astounding $250m, the CEO sexually harassed his former employee – then 17 years old – at work before forcing her to his apartment on the day of her 18th birthday.

Morales alleges that Charney answered the door in his underwear and "forced her to her knees so she could pleasure him". The case, filed at Brooklyn Supreme Court, also claims that Charney "dragged her to the bedroom, threw her on the bed, got on top of her and forced her to perform another act of fellatio, nearly suffocating her in the process".

Charney has been the target of multiple sexual harassment suits - none of which were proven - but for a man so used to selling clothes, he sure knows how to lose them inappropriately. He is said to frequently patrol the office in his underwear and has also admitted "there wouldn't be anything wrong" with wearing a "cock sock" to a business meeting.

Clothing ads for the label have also come under legal scrutiny in recent years. A UK advertising watchdog banned an American Apparel ad campaign for using a "partially nude" model believed to be under 16 who looked like "she was stripping off for an amateur-style photo shoot".

In a statement, American Apparel said that Morales acknowledged in writing she had no claims against the company at the time of her resignation.

They added that they intend "to file a formal complaint with the NY state bar seeking disciplinary action against Ms Morales' lawyers who we believe are engaged in an illegal conspiracy to extort money from American Apparel". ·