Guess fashion bigwig Paul Marciano has reached a million-dollar settlement with two models who accused him of sexual misconduct, The Daily Beast has learned.
According to the Guess, Inc. quarterly report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the fashion mogul and his company paid a total of $1 million to resolve the Jan. 2021 lawsuit filed against him by “Jane Doe 1” and “Jane Doe 2,” now known to be former Guess models Amanda Rodriguez and Gwen Van Meir—though it is unclear how much that figure was divided among the pair.
The August 2022 settlement’s terms noted that Marciano disputed any wrongdoing and that the payouts were given “in order to avoid the cost of litigation and without admitting liability or fault.”
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The SEC filing also mentions a pair of settlements for $300,000 and $120,000, paid out in July 2021 and March 2022, respectively, to undisclosed accusers—once again “in order to avoid the cost of litigation and without admitting liability or fault” on Marciano’s part.
Rodriguez, the former Guess model who identified in court as Jane Doe 1, sued Marciano in January 2021, alleging he sexually assaulted her a year prior by luring her to empty apartment with the promise of job opportunities. It was there, she claimed, Marciano forced her to perform oral sex on him.
After multiple attempts by Marciano’s legal team to out his accuser in court, Rodriguez publicly identified herself earlier this year in a dramatic press conference alongside Lisa Bloom, who also represents Van Meir, another ex-Guess model who came forward alongside Rodriguez with allegations that Marciano sexually harassed her during a July 2020 photo shoot.
Marciano and Guess vociferously denied all claims against him. And in the company’s SEC report, it declared that after settling with the two plaintiffs, “All previously pending claims of individuals alleging personal mistreatment by Mr. Paul Marciano have now been resolved."
In a statement to The Daily Beast, Bloom said: “Another victory against Paul Marciano and Guess! We are in awe of Gwen’s courage in standing up for her rights and the rights of other models to a respectful workplace. For her, this has always been about accountability.” She added of Rodriguez: “The parties have resolved this litigation and are putting this matter behind them. We have no further comment.”
Marciano’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
