Photographer Seth Sabal Continues to Deny Sexual Misconduct Claims Alleged in The Boston Globe
STILL IN THE PICTURE: In response to last week’s Boston Globe article about alleged sexual misconduct by photographers, Seth Sabal again denied any wrongdoing via his attorney, Carlos M. Carvajal.
“He can unequivocally say that he never has taken any nude photos of an underage model, he never sexually harassed anyone and never forced anyone to do something they weren’t comfortable with. If anyone who felt uncomfortable with any requests that have been made, he does apologize. He never coerced, forced or in any way intimidated anyone to do anything against their will,” Carvajal said.
“But he recognizes that what’s going on is long in coming, and it’s not just in the world of fashion. This is something that’s going on globally in all industries. It is something that his wife [Yuliana], a longtime model, suffered some harassment throughout her career,” Carvajal said. “But it’s also important to recognize that it’s not just in the modeling agency or the fashion industry. And it’s also important to recognize that some people are being unjustly accused. But that should in no way, shape or form diminish the ability of the people who have suffered to have their moment for what is long in coming to really right so many things that have been wrong.”
The Spotlight investigation alleged that three models accused Sabal of sexual harassment during the mid-Aughts. One, who asked to be identified only by her middle name, Teresa, said she was 17 when she was given alcohol and asked to take off her underwear as Sabal allegedly shot up her skirt.
Going through his archives of shoots with “thousands” of models, based on “some of the information that the Globe provided,” Sabal did not see anything that could be considered improper or anything having to do with a minor, Carvajal said. One thing the photographer did want Carvajal to mention was how the industry practice of providing models with appropriate underwear is standard.
The semi-retired cancer survivor has not lost jobs as a result of last week’s publicity. He now only takes on special projects, his lawyer said, noting “people from different points in his career” have offered their support. “He would never do any of the things that were hinted at and the allegations that were made were somewhat obtuse. Some anonymous model making sort of vague allegations — Seth is very comfortable with his reputation that he built over 30 years,” Carvajal said. The photographer also offered a quote “he found appropriate for the situation” from Mother Teresa that closes with, “In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
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