A New York court has handed down at pay out of more than $23 million to a Swedish intern who was sexually harassed by her CEO boss.
Hanna Bouveng, 25, was working as an intern for the New York Global Group when she was propositioned for sex by her married CEO boss, Benjamin Wey, 43.
After acquiescing to his “insistent” and “harassing” advances, Bouveng entered into a short sexual relationship with Wey, which she said was “uncomfortable”, and which she said only led to sex on four occasions.
During the course of the relationship, Wey apparently gave Bouveng a range of expensive gifts, including luxury “business trips”, and a $3,365-a-month Manhattan apartment to hide his ‘visits’ from his wife.
However, the relationship came to an abrupt halt when, after ignoring his advances for weeks, Mr Wey came upon Ms Bouveng in bed with another man, reportedly her boyfriend.
Outraged that she would bring another man into the apartment he paid for, the CEO went on to post a series of damaging and defaming posts on his website, The Blot, where he referred to Ms Bouveng as, among other things, a prostitute, a Hong Kong masseuse and drug addict in what he called “investigations”. As well as this, the posts on his website named and shamed Bouveng’s friends and family.
After making these defamatory posts, Wey then contracted Bouveng’s father, writing: “I saw a six-foot-tall homeless black man named James lying on her bed.”
“The man was totally naked, dirty, totally drunk and perhaps on illegal drugs,” the message continued.
Wey then fired her from her position at the company, and kicked her out of the apartment he paid for her.
Seeking legal action, Ms Bouveng then took Wey to court for defamation, harassment and unfair dismissal – a case that Bouveng won yesterday, to the tune of $23 million.
After a long trial, the Jury award Bouveng $20 million for punitive damages, $650,000 in compensatory damages for sexual harassment and $1.95 million for verbal and public defamation.
Wey was not in court to hear the verdict, but had previously attended every session with his wife, vehemently denying that he ever had sex with Ms Bouveng, and instead insisting that he fired her on the basis that her “club habits” were interfering with her work.
Ms Bouveng has announced she will return to Sweden after the trial, for fear of further retaliation from Mr Wey.
