Goldman Sachs attempted to reach out to us yesterday in hopes of reducing the interest that our story garnered regarding two individuals that had dealt with differing degrees of sexual harassment at the global investment bank. The denial was both weak and soft and didn’t remotely speak to the veracity of the allegations themselves, but rather to the release of the information and whether or not it was appropriate to leak the nature of ‘sealed agreements’. Saying that again, their response was weak.
The specific email that we received asked us to remove the article on the basis of privileged legal information that was agreed to by all parties at the time. (Should they really be sending an email with the term ‘privilege’ in it right now?) No denials of the claims made by the women, no denials of the existence of the women and their circumstances, no denials that there is potentially a systemic issue among some managers in the wealth division, and no commentary that the firm is doing its part to clean up the problem. Just threats.
A reminder of what was alleged in the article regarding sexually charged claims that were settled at the firm and how those claims were viewed by the victims themselves. A quick look back at one quote that sums up, in comparison, how weak Goldman’s response was late yesterday:
“During the investigation, which took more than 8 months, I was passed up for a promotion that, per the criteria, should have been a foregone conclusion. It was right there that I decided to leave the firm. When GS offered me a settlement I agreed and left the firm 90 days later. Easy decision. I wasn’t about to let those fuckers stunt the growth of my career.”
One of the victims chose to stay at the firm for 8 months, no doubt enduring being ostracized and whispers as the investigation dragged on. She should be celebrated. And having the will to leave one of the most powerful firms on Wall Street is a real act of courage. Goldman asking us to take the article down was a gift to us, so thank you for giving us the opportunity to print a follow-up article on this issue.
A quote that sums up the other victim’s reality and further proves the ‘weak hands’ of Goldman’s legal team:
“It took me a week to report it and the trauma of dealing with a snake that masqueraded as a friend was traumatic. Ultimately I stayed here because I thought remaining was the more important choice than walking away. Needless to say, my ‘friend’ was fired.”
And bravo to her for staying at the firm, fighting for her rights, and probably fighting for change as well. We can assume that nobody is going to be stupid enough to fuck with her going forward.
We do expect to get another email/letter of some sort from Goldman regarding this story as well. Please send it – we will simply post the screenshot of it and provide the much-needed context.
