Goldman Sachs CEO: Public safety is the fabric of our existence

(CNN)A newly-unredacted document alleging an “uncorrected culture of sexual assault and harassment” at investment bank Goldman Sachs states that at least 75 incidents of alleged sexual assault and harassment were reported between 2000 and 2011.

The document is part of an ongoing gender discrimination lawsuit against the investment bank that dates back to 2010.

The lawsuit, originally filed on behalf of former Goldman Sachs employees Cristina Chen-Oster, Allison Gamba, Shanna Orlich, and Mary de Luis, became a class-action lawsuit in 2018.

It now represents over 1,400 current and former female associates and vice-presidents at Goldman Sachs who say they encountered discrimination over pay, promotion, and reviews, according to a press release.

A redacted version of the newly-released document, a memo in support of the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, was first filed in 2014. At the time, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs called it a “a normal procedural step for any proposed class action lawsuit” that “does not change the case’s lack of merit.”

Now, a federal judge has ruled that previously-private sections relating to specific internal complaints be made public.
The document alleges that Goldman Sachs “permits or facilitates a culture where male professionals view women as sexual objects” and refers to the bank as a “sexualized and male-centric workplace” where women are excluded from important work events, passed over for promotions, paid unfairly, and endure a culture where sexual harassment and assault goes unpunished.

Among the allegations that have now been made public: the unredacted portions of the document reveal that during 2000-2011, at least seven women reported rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault by their Goldman colleagues.
Goldman Sachs said in a statement Friday that the allegations do not “reflect reality” and that many of the claims are “two decades old and have been presented selectively, inaccurately and are incomplete. ”
“Discrimination, harassment and mistreatment in any form are unacceptable at Goldman Sachs, and when identified, swift action, including termination, is taken. Out of respect for the persons involved, we are not going to comment on the individual complaints,” a spokesperson said.
Chen-Oster, the lead plaintiff on the case said in a statement that she hopes the case will help “finally break the glass ceiling for women on Wall Street and set a precedent for other industries where gender discrimination is pervasive.”

A trial date has been set for June 5, 2023 — nearly 13 years since the original lawsuit was filed.

— CNN’s Toby Lyles, Hayley Wilson, Matt Egan, and Jesse Solomon contributed to this report

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