Blackberry enabled ‘Mad Men-era sexual harassment,’ lawsuit alleges

(KRON) – John Giamatteo, Blackberry’s newly promoted CEO, has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in the US District Court Nothern California District.

The accusor, anonymously named Jane Doe, started working at BlackBerry over ten years ago. According to the lawsuit, Doe was a “high potential employee” and earned several promotions within her first year at the company. During that time, Giamatteo was President of Cybersecurity at Blackberry.

According to the lawsuit, during her first year at the company, Giamatteo made advancements on Doe by inviting her to an alleged “date.” Giamatteo attempted to “woo” and get closer to Doe by being overly friendly when she only expected an ordinary business dinner, the lawsuit said.

During her several promotions, Giamatteo allegedly offered Doe to work alongside him so that the two could “travel together” more, with no “business reason” behind the offer. Feeling uncomfortable with the offer, Doe politely declined, allegedly triggering a series of misconduct actions on Giamatteo’s behalf soon after.

Attempting to remain collaborative, Doe attempted to set up meetings with Giamatteo, which he found “offensive,” the complaint said. According to the lawsuit, Giamatteo then stopped inviting Doe to meetings she had previously been a part of whilst also making claims against Doe consciously choosing not to attend said meetings, allegedly spreading false rumors about Doe not being a “good collaborator.”

According to the lawsuit, Giamatteo then started openly telling employees he wanted Doe “out.” Doe then went to Giamatteo to ask him about wanting to get her “out.” He then admitted to making these comments but said he “only told four people.” In or around late 2021 to early 2022, Giamatteo threatened Doe, saying if she “is not nice to him, he has a large network and could impact her career,” the lawsuit said.

“BlackBerry seeks to present itself as a modern company, but the new management’s tolerance and enablement of ‘Mad Men ‘-era sexual harassment reflects their toxic and antiquated values,” said Tanya Gomerman, Jane Doe’s attorney.

According to the lawsuit, Giamatteo’s conduct became so petty that he refused to engage with Doe on an issue that could have saved Blackberry nearly $1 million.

When filing a complaint with the company’s Human Resources department, Blackberry attorneys asked Doe if she knew of other women, and she provided the names of two other women. According to the lawsuit, the attorneys did not ask her for the contact information for the women she mentioned with information about Giamatteo’s previous conduct.

On December 4, Doe landed overseas for a business trip. Upon arriving, interim CEO Richard “Dick” Lynch told Doe that her job duties were terminated immediately. The lawsuit says they told Doe the termination was for “restructuring.”

“Jane’s story underscores the disturbing reality of workplace harassment and discrimination that too many working women know all too well,” said Maria Bourn, Jane Doe’s attorney. “Despite a litany of complaints against him, Giamatteo was not only shielded from consequences but rewarded with a promotion to the highest position in the company.”

According to the lawsuit, Lynch also told Doe it would be better if she told people she resigned. Doe was the only person on the senior leadership team being terminated, the lawsuit said.

On December 6, Blackberry offered Giamatteo the CEO position. The offer letter required Giamatteo’s signature on or before December 8, and Lynch signed it. Giamatteo’s salary was set at $700,000, with bonuses and stocks. Giamatteo signed the offer letter the next day, and Lynch signed it on December 8.

On December 8, 2023, Lynch emailed Doe, writing: “I gave you the option to portray your departure as a resignation in spite of the fact that the company has determined to sever you and pay you what is due in these circumstances…If I have not seen a resignation announcement…I will be prepared to put out an announcement that you are scheduled to leave the business,” the email said.

The next day, December 11, Interim CEO Lynch sent an email announcing, “The Board of Directors has appointed John Giamatteo as the new CEO of BlackBerry…I have gotten to know John fairly well over the last two years,” Lynch said in an email.

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Prior to Blackberry promoting Giamatteo, Doe’s lawyer reports that his organization was only 18% female. He had no women as direct reports, and all his direct reports were white men. According to the lawsuit, after Giamatteo was advanced to CEO, even more women and people of color were hired at Blackberry.

In response to the lawsuit, a Blackberry spokesperson who chose to remain anonymous told KRON4 that the company does not “tolerate, condone, or ignore workplace discrimination or harassment.”

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