Fabio Silva had been GC and vice president of legal affairs at the company in Manhattan since last October. He is suing Armani for retaliation and discrimination in state court in Manhattan. The suit alleges four counts of violating the New York City Human Rights Law and seeks over US$75m in compensatory and punitive damages. He is being represented by David Sanford of Sanford Heisler Kimpel.

Unlawful dismissal  

The complaint alleges a hostile work environment because Mr Silva is Mexican; an Armani finance executive allegedly told Mr Silva he didn’t ‘trust’ Mexicans. When Mr Silva complained about the comment to chief operations officer Giorgio Fornari and head of HR Lucinda Rosso (both defendants in the case), it claims they retaliated against him by terminating his employment. Furthermore, it alleges unlawful discharge based on Mr Silva’s national origin and on disability because he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Source: Corporate Counsel