Millennium Films Faces Explosive Sex Harassment Suit
A former executive at Millennium Films has filed a harassment lawsuit, alleging that the company fostered a culture that was demeaning towards actresses and female employees.
The suit alleges that women were called “whores,” “c—suckers,” and “mistresses,” and actresses were routinely called “too fat,” “too ugly” and “too old.”
The plaintiff filed the case under a pseudonym, Jane Roe, but is identified as a former director of development at the L.A.-based company that produced such films as “The Expendables,” “London Has Fallen,” and the 2008 “Rambo.” The suit names CEO Avi Lerner as a defendant, and alleges that he made many of the disparaging remarks.
The suit also alleges that Lerner hired “unqualified girlfriends” to produce his films, and encouraged young women to wear revealing clothing — without underwear — around the office. When the plaintiff complained about the company’s hiring practices, she was told that “the girls” were valuable to the company because they helped procure prostitutes for actors working with the company and for Lerner’s friends, according to the suit.
On one occasion, a female vice president was criticized for not producing a film properly because she was “too busy having sex with her boyfriend,” the suit alleges.
The suit also contends that female employees were paid less than their male counterparts.
Also named in the suit were executives Jeffrey Greenstein, Boaz Davidson, and John Thompson.
Millennium did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Millennium recently sold a 51% stake in the company to China-based Recon Group.
The suit alleges that the plaintiff was fired after disclosing her need for back surgery, in December 2016.
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
