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A male model sued Abercrombie & Fitch, saying the company allowed
its former CEO to exploit models.

The lawsuit comes after the BBC published a report with claims the
CEO ran a sex trafficking ring.

CEO Mike Jefferies 'sexually abused his many victims' the lawsuit
said.

A former model for Abercrombie & Fitch on Friday sued the fashion
retailer, alleging it allowed its former CEO Mike Jeffries to run a sex-trafficking organization during his 22-year tenure.

Jeffries, who left Abercrombie in 2014, converted the chain from a
struggling retailer of hunting apparel to a seller of must-have teen
clothing. But he faced criticism for the company's sexualized
marketing, including billboards and beefy models that alienated
potential customers who didn't fit into its image.

The lawsuit comes after a BBC report earlier this month raised
similar allegations against Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith.

The lawsuit, filed by David Bradberry in the US District Court for
the Southern District of New York, says Jeffries had modeling scouts
scouring the internet and elsewhere to identify attractive young men
seeking to be the next face of Abercrombie. Often, these prospective
models became sex-trafficking victims, sent to New York and abroad
and abused by Jeffries and other men, all under the guise that they
were being recruited to become the next Abercrombie model, the
lawsuit contends.

"Jeffries was so important to the profitability of the brand that he
was given complete autonomy to perform his role as CEO however he
saw fit, including through the use of blatant international sex
trafficking and abuse of prospective Abercrombie models," the suit
said.

Per the suit, these practices occurred between at least 1992 to
2014. Jeffries, Smith, and the Jeffries Family Office LLC are named
in the suit. It seeks class-action status and estimates that over a
hundred young models, in addition to Bradberry, were victims.

"Among other things, Jeffries sexually abused his many victims and
caused his victims to engage in commercial sex acts, specifically
sex acts for which his victims received things of value, including
money, promises of career advancement, and promises that Jeffries
would hire them to work as Abercrombie models," according to the
suit.

A&F, based in New Albany, Ohio, declined to comment Friday. Earlier
this month, the retailer said that it had hired an outside law firm
to conduct an independent investigation into the issues raised by
the BBC. It said the company's current leaders and board of
directors were not aware of the allegations of Jeffries' sexual
misconduct.

"For close to a decade, a new executive leadership team and
refreshed board of directors have successfully transformed our
brands and culture into the values-driven organization we are
today," the company said. "We have zero tolerance for abuse,
harassment or discrimination of any kind."

Jeffries' attorney, Brian Bieber, said in a statement that Jeffries
"will not comment in the press on this new lawsuit, as he has
likewise chosen not to regarding litigation in the past. "

"The courtroom is where we will deal with this matter," Bieber
added.

Once a household name for affluent teens and now benefiting from a
resurgence in popularity, the company long faced controversy under
the direction of Jeffries.

In the 2000s, the company faced multiple accusations of racism and discrimination against employees of color. The focus on these
controversies heightened during the pandemic thanks to the
documentary "White Hot."

Earlier in October, the BBC published a two-year investigation into
Jeffries and Smith that alleged the pair were involved in organizing
events that recruited young men for sex acts. Men said they were
exploited or abused, and others noted that modeling opportunities
were tied to participation in sex acts.

In some cases, Jeffries and Smith were present during the sex acts.

The company told the BBC that they were "appalled and disgusted" by
the claims made about Jeffries.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/male-model-worked-abercrombie-fitch-
070038132.html

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