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Davidar harassment suit settled out of court
The sexual harassment scandal that cost David Davidar his job as president of Penguin Canada has been buried with his accuser Lisa Rundle settling her lawsuit with him and the publishing company amicably.
The sexual harassment scandal that cost David Davidar his job as president of Penguin Canada has been buried with his accuser Lisa Rundle settling her lawsuit with him and the publishing company amicably.
The Indian-born boss of Penguin Canada was sacked June 8 following a sexual harassment complaint by Rundle. Initially, both Penguin and Davidar said he was leaving voluntarily.
In her lawsuit, Rundle, former director of digital publishing and foreign rights at the publishing company, had sought $523,000 from Penguin for sexual harassment for three years and then an assault by Davidar at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. The scandal ended quietly on Tuesday with all the three parties settling the lawsuit and pledging not to divulge anything to the media.
“All matters resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. None of the parties will be commenting further to the media,” Davidar’s lawyer Peter Downard said in an
e-mail to media outlets.
A spokesperson for Penguin also confirmed that “everything has been settled” amicably. It was not known how much Penguin Canada and Davidar will pay Rundle.
Following the lawsuit, Davidar had admitted only a “consensual flirtatious relationship” with Rundle.
Davidar, who launched Penguin operations in India in the mid-1980s, is likely to leave for India with his wife Rachna soon.
