British Conglomerate Created "Jock Fraternity Culture of Excess and Misogyny."

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lobna Abdelrehim, a twenty-six-year-old Egyptian-American female, has filed a complaint in New York State Supreme Court alleging "discrimination" based on gender and religion, as well as "retaliation" for opposing discrimination in the workplace.

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Abdelrehim's complaint against GDS International states that she has been subjected to an "overtly and disturbing sexually hostile work environment" at its Wall Street offices. The complaint describes a workplace that is "rife with unwelcome sex-based bodily contact, such as hugs, patting, and face and forehead kissing," daily receipt of email to its staff "celebrating various employee sales accomplishments" by noting that the employee in question has "popped her cherry," as well sexualized company-wide emails with subject lines such as, "Future MTB Stars -- Spraggy & The MILF get Viks Hot Under the Collar," which "contain[ed] a link to an external website containing inappropriate sexual content."

The complaint further alleges that GDS condones the routine use of profane and misogynistic language throughout the office. Managers "regularly employ sales pep talk chants" using unprintable pejorative references to female genitalia, as well as the use of "overtly sexist and demeaning sales training propaganda," such one company memo entitled, "Using your SEX to sell and the Boulevard to Bombshell Bitchiness...," advising its female employees to "flirt to get what you want," and "get away with being aggressive because it is sexy."

From workplace "charity chest waxings" to emails featuring "cleavage-focused photographs of women in bikinis," the complaint describes a workplace where the "dominion and sexual conquest of women" is continually depicted as a "metaphor for demonstrated sales prowess."

Abdelrehim, a Muslim, also filed a complaint alleging religious discrimination, accusing GDS International of overt discrimination against Muslims by "circulating numerous electronic mail depicting men in Muslim garb as raging homicidal terrorists."

Following her complaints to the company of discriminatory treatment, Abdelrehim alleges that GDS International "made no attempt to credibly investigate, let alone redress, Plaintiff's complaints of brazen discriminatory treatment," instead choosing to "retaliate" against her by demoting her and threatening her with termination for "glaringly pretextual" reasons, and continuing to create a "workplace of overwhelming discomfort for women and people of differing faiths, and all those who support a woman's right to workplace equality, respect and honor."

Abdelrehim is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as a result of this unlawful degradation to the terms and conditions of her employment.

Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser, LLP, is a full-service Women's Rights in the Workplace law boutique in NYC. For more information about the case, or to obtain a copy of the state court complaint, contact Jack Tuckner, William Sipser or Antonia Donato at 212.766.9100, or at jtuckner@womensrightsny.com, wsipser@womensrightsny.com or adonato@womensrightsny.com.

SOURCE Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser, LLP