Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg allegedly told employee who had just announced pregnancy to “kill it.”
“He told me to ‘kill it’ in a serious monotone voice,” the former employee claimed in a lawsuit. “I asked ‘What? What did you just say?’ He looked at me and repeated in a deliberate manner ‘kill it.'”
Bloomberg has denied the allegations and the lawsuit was settled out of court.
Other allegations allege the billionaire had a sexist history in the workplace, saying things like, “I’d like to do that piece of meat,” and “I would do you in a second.”
ABC News reported: At least 17 women have taken legal action against the company over the past three decades, with three of the cases specifically naming Bloomberg for his role in the company’s culture. None of the cases made it to trial – four were either dismissed or withdrawn, while five were settled out of court. Three cases remain active.
The comments attributed to Bloomberg in court records are echoed in a gift book he received from colleagues in 1990: a compilation of his alleged quotes. The booklet contained alleged comments such as, “Make the customer think he’s getting laid when he’s getting [expletive],” and, “If women wanted to be appreciated for their brains, they’d go to the library instead of to Bloomingdales.” The booklet received media attention a decade later when he ran for mayor of New York.
While many of the cases brought against Bloomberg LP over the years have taken aim at other managers and executives, several of the early complaints alleged Bloomberg’s attitude and statements about women fostered a hostile work environment himself. Some were dismissed, while others were settled with no admission of wrongdoing.
