Sues ICANN for harrassment, wrongful termination — Former employee

A longtime employee alleges that ICANN did not properly handle complaints.

A woman who worked for ICANN for 22 years sued the non-profit this stretch, claiming sexual harassment, gender discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, and other claims.

The plaintiff’s suit states that she was:

… ICANN’s second longest tenured employee with a stellar 22-year history. In exchange for her dedication, she has been subjected to the frat boy culture, having been repeatedly passed over for promotions, paid lower salaries than male colleagues, sexually harassed, and then wrongfully terminated for blowing the whistle. For all its poetic waxing of gender equality, ICANN is a rotted apple veiled by a thin shiny veneer.

The plaintiff pointed to alleged harassment that began in 2006, when she stated an ICANN colleague asked her to go to his room during an ICANN meeting and then called to persist in asking her to come to his room. She alleges that the employee retaliated against her by telling his team not to give her any assistance, and that the employee was later promoted.

She states she was harassed again in 2008, alleging that her supervisor at the time tried to hold her hand and grope her, and made inappropriate verbal remarks. In the lawsuit, she alleges this type of behavior continued for many years.

The alleged perpetrator of many of the incidents was fired in 2023. The plaintiff states that interim CEO Sally Costerton openly shared details regarding the harassment claims with the entire executive team, and word then spread throughout the ICANN staff and community, harming the plaintiff’s reputation.

The lawsuit states that ICANN hired an outside investigator. The plaintiff alleges that the investigator “spent her efforts creating an following-the-fact defense for ICANN’s complete and utter failure to address harassment and discrimination.”

The lawsuit also states that ICANN undertook victim blaming, counting telling the plaintiff that she “invited the sexual comments.”

Citing emotional distress from the alleged harassment, the plaintiff stated she went on medical leave. ICANN fired her while she was on medical leave when ICANN disclosed layoffs.

ICANN issued a statement regarding the lawsuit today:

ICANN has been sued by a longtime former colleague. The ICANN Board conducted a thorough independent investigation into the matters the plaintiff previously noted to ICANN. Many of the allegations in the complaint are untrue and we will defend our organization and our policies vigorously. Our arguments will be made in the proper venue.

ICANN strives to create a positive, safe, and inclusive work and community environment, and is committed to the highest possible standards of ethical, moral, and legal business conduct. ICANN enforces this through a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment, discrimination and retaliation.

The suit was filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles.