Gucci treated top saleswoman who sold $50 million worth of gear like a SLAVE, mocked her age and bullied her until she wasted to the skin and her hair fell out, bombshell claims allege

Gucci treated a top saleswoman who sold $50 million worth of designer goods like a slave, mocking her age and bullying her until she withered away and her hair fell out, a lawsuit alleges.

Tracy Cohen worked for eighteen years as a customer advisor sales associate for Gucci’s Chicago store on Michigan Avenue. She sold more than $50 million worth of goods, including $5 million in 2021 alone. But in October 2023, she was fired without severance.

Cohen, 54, claims she was discriminated against because of her age and that bosses favored those under 40. She also claims she was targeted because of her gender and disability: anxiety and depression.

She was told she was “crazy” and “old” because she complained about working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Cohen says she has been denied thousands of commissions to punish her for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Illinois Human Rights Division.

In the complaint, Cohen alleged that Gucci’s top boss ignored her pleas. When she went to her manager and human resources, hoping to finally get help, she was told she had been suspended and was “being investigated.”

The lawsuit against Kering, Gucci, Gucci, Gucci America, Inc. and Gucci North American Holdings was filed on January 22, 2024 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

The lawsuit alleges that “during her employment, Gucci, instead of wooing her with recognition and giving her opportunities for success, instead consumed nearly every second of her life and exploited her through a modern-day slavery program of psychological abuse, manipulation and discrimination.” with her collaborators – Gucci and Kering – destroying her sense of self and putting her in constant fear of losing her job.”

Cohen was hired by Gucci in 2006. In 2018, she became the number one salesperson at Gucci Chicago, surpassing at least twenty other sales associates. She was responsible for 15 percent of the store’s entire monthly quota.

In 2021 – the year she moved $5 million worth of goods – she received a bonus of just $20,000, it is claimed.

According to the complaint, Gucci and Kering devised an elaborate scheme of deception to induce Cohen to sell more Gucci products while she remained in fear of losing her job.

“Defendants controlled nearly all aspects of Plaintiff’s life by isolating her from society, requiring her to work 24 hours a day while connected to her electronic sales equipment, making negative comments about her age and mental health, and giving her a monthly sales quota that was nearly two to three times the quota of her peers,” the complaint said.

When she was suspended, something that has never happened in her 18-year career, she was told she was “under investigation.”

The company continued to punish her, telling her she could still sell from home during the five-day suspension. But bosses banned her from speaking to any of her co-workers while she was “under investigation,” further isolating, traumatizing and bullying her, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit alleges that co-workers confided in her that they witnessed the suspects assaulting her, but never came to her aid. Instead, they watched her physically deteriorate,” the complaint said.

A male employee under the age of 40 told him, “Why don’t you just quit,” after watching her manager bully her, according to the complaint.

She was also denied an assistant to help her manage her excessive workload, according to the complaint.

“Plaintiff continued to work under exploitative conditions as her hair fell out, and as she visibly wasted away to skin and bones, suffering the physical manifestation of Defendants’ disparate treatment of her,” the complaint said.

While in the top position, she continually told her superiors that she was suffering from exhaustion, anxiety and depression, and that their behavior was exacerbating her disabilities.”

When she confronted both Gucci and Kering, she claimed the managers had bullied her. When she asked to be transferred to another store, they refused, while transferring younger, non-disabled, less successful colleagues to other locations.

In September 2022, when she went to then-president and CEO of Gucci, Marco Bizzarri, who had reportedly created a “values ​​framework” dedicated to women’s rights and equality in the workplace, hoping she would listen to him, the lawsuit that he ignored it.

“President Bizzarri ignored Plaintiff, the female employee who generated nearly $50 million in revenue for Gucci and Kering during her nearly 18-year career,” the lawsuit said.

Cohen claims in the lawsuit that she was excluded from prestigious opportunities, and that she felt guilty when she tried to take time off. One such instance was when her father was dying and she had to care for him, she claimed.

In March 2022, when She was asked to nominate a dear customer for Billie Eilish concert tickets. Management told her her customer choice was too old, according to a letter reviewed by DailyMail.com.

“I believe the business community is looking for Gen Z or Millennial customers – he could be a good fit for Elton John,” the letter said in part.

The lawsuit also details Gucci’s alleged abusive and exploitative labor practices around the world. Cohen says Gucci officials maintained sweatshop conditions in China, forced pregnant women to have abortions and ignored sexual harassment complaints.

She further highlighted the luxury goods giant’s alleged decision to push new mothers out of their jobs, leaving women suffering from incontinence, calling women “crazy” and forcing female models to wear straitjackets against their will on the catwalk.

Cohen’s attorney Tamara Holder told DailyMail.com that “they fired her because she spoke out.”

“We’re highlighting Tracy’s case, but other women are coming forward. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase how these fashion brands treat women in the workplace.

“We have had other women come forward – high-achieving women – from other locations,” she added.

Holder said the first interaction she had with the lawyers was a “threat” and plans to litigate it in court.

“The threat was that they demanded I drop the human trafficking charges from the lawsuit and threatened me with sanctions if I didn’t do so.”

Holder said that since the story broke, five additional women from the Seattle area, Houston and California have come forward.

Holder said: ‘All from various Gucci retail locations across the country with virtually identical claims.’