A court in France has found against Moët Hennessy in its legal challenge to former employee Maria Gasparovic, according to a report this week.
The case against the ex-chief of staff for the group’s global head of distribution commenced last year, with the brand owner alleging defamation on Gasparovic’s part. CEO Jean-Jacques Guiony said at the time that the former executive, who, following her departure, invoked ‘whistleblower’ status, had “created an environment that was destructive and Moët Hennessy had no choice but to terminate her contract”, resulting in what he alleged was a “press campaign” that consisted of “false and unacceptable” claims.
In a report today (22 January), the FT said the court had ruled that Moët Hennessy had “failed to demonstrate it had been defamed by Gasparovic’s LinkedIn posts, in which she claimed she had been bullied and sexually harassed … before being fired without her allegations being investigated”.
In finding against Moët Hennessy, the court ordered the group to pay EUR2,000 (US$2,340) in damages but did not allow for additional compensation, as had been requested by Gasparovic.
“It is clear from these elements that the legal action initiated against Maria Gasparovic by Moët Hennessy was, to say the least, reckless, and that the latter . . . abused its right to take legal action,” the FT quoted the judges as having written in their decision.
The two sides have a separate issue in train at the moment, as Gasparovic is seeking damages and compensation for what she claims is a case of wrongful dismissal. She left the group in mid-2024 after five years.
In October, Moët Hennessy booked its first quarter of rising sales since the closing three months of 2024. The +1% top-line showing wasn’t enough to drag the year-to-date into the black, with nine-month sales to the end of September at -4%. The group will announce its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Tuesday next week.
