A former Gucci salesman at the 5th Avenue flagship store has filed a $5MM lawsuit saying he was discriminated against because he's straight. Adolfo Mendez says his manager at the store, Michael Daly, crept up behind him and gave him a shoulder-to-ass massage, reports the Daily News. Mendez claims he froze the first time it happened, but upon the second he told Daly, "Look, I really don't appreciate this. You touched me. I don't think it's professional." Allegedly Daly was stunned and gave him a "how dare you" look.
Meanwhile, over in the women's department, manager (not singer/songwriter) David Gray was playing the role of Mendez's direct boss, and allegedly told him, "I know you're gay."
Mendez complained to human resources about the physical acts, the comments, and the consequential reprimands he was getting for not playing along. He was placed on paid leave and then fired two weeks later; Gray and Daly reportedly no longer work for Gucci either. Mendez's lawyer told the paper, "Not only are the managers engaging in inappropriate sexual banter on a public floor, the HR department retaliated against the employee who brought it to their attention."
