Ex-Revlon employee sues company, alleging discrimination

Revlon’s former chief scientific officer has sued the company, claiming he was discriminated against for being Jewish.

Alan Meyers filed a lawsuit against the Jewish-owned cosmetics company headquartered in New York  last week, claiming he also was fired for raising safety concerns that company CEO Lorenzo Delpani called “ghost” problems.

Meyers, 56, was fired last month after less than four years at Revlon. Meyers says he was fired over his safety concerns, and because he complained about anti-Semitic treatment he had to endure from Delpani. He also says he was ostracized because of his Jewish heritage.

Revlon spokeswoman Kiki Rees said Meyers “repeatedly demonstrated critical lapses in judgment and failed to perform at the high standard we demand of our employees,” according to the New York Post.

Delpani, of Italy, joined Revlon in 2013. According to the lawsuit, Delpani told Meyers he was “shocked” there weren’t more Jews at the company because the largest shareholder is Jewish American businessman Ron Perelman. “Jews stick together,” he also said.

The lawsuit gives examples of  the bullying Meyers says he was forced to undergo, including an October incident where Delpani required him to hold a whiteboard for half an hour during a high-level meeting in which Meyers was supposed to be part of the leadership team, according to the New York Post.

Meyers is asking for unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. Perelman is not a defendant.