Moët Hennessy faces €1.3m sexual harassment lawsuit
French firm Moët Hennessy is facing accusations of sexual harassment and unfair dismissal in a lawsuit from a former chief of staff.
According to a report from the Financial Times, employees from the company’s wine and spirits division have spoken of a “toxic culture” and an “old boys club” mentality within its headquarters in Paris.
Moët Hennessy has strongly denied the accusations.
Maria Gasparovic, the former chief of staff to Moët Hennessy’s wine and spirits global head of distribution, is suing the firm for €1.3m (US$1.5m) in damages and compensation at a Paris employment tribunal after she was dismissed from her position in June last year.
In Gasparovic’s allegations, she was allegedly told she needed “anti-seduction” training after a client of Moët Hennessy’s claimed she had tried to seduce them. Gasparovic also claims she was subjected to “unfounded and sexist rumours” and “acts of denigration”.
Moët Hennessy said Gasparovic was removed from her job for “gross misconduct”.
Following her dismissal, Gasparovic voiced her issues with the company on LinkedIn, making allegations of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, denigration and unfair dismissal.
Moët Hennessy sent Gasparovic a cease and desist letter, which the Financial Times said read: “You cannot present yourself as a whistleblower when you have exploited for your personal benefit, for several years, the same facts that you publicly claim to have reported.”
Former Moët Hennessy chief operating officer (COO) Mark Stead was also recently let go from the firm.
Stead was said to be removed from his position at the company on the basis that he misused company expenses. Stead is in a relationship with Gasparovic.
According to the Financial Times, Moët Hennessy has made a legal complaint against Stead alleging he shared private information with Gasporvic. Stead, meanwhile, is suing Moët Hennessy for wrongful dismissal.
Gasparovic also accuses former CEO Philippe Schaus of having ordered Moët Hennessy’s head of HR to investigate her private life over concerns she was having an affair with a second executive.
The Financial Times also reported that multiple female employees at Moët Hennessy’s Paris headquarters have logged incidents of bullying and harassment before they left the company.
Moët Hennessy has filed for libel against Gasparovic at the French Judicial Court in response to the allegations. The Spirits Business has contacted the Parisian courts to request further details of the lawsuit, and is awaiting a response.
Moët Hennessy statement
In statement addressing the allegations, Jean-Jacques Guiony, president and CEO of Moët Hennessy, said:
“Dear Moët Hennessy teams,
“You may have seen or heard about an article published by the Financial Times regarding Moët Hennessy.
“I am deeply disappointed by this – not only because it harms our reputation, but above all because the allegations made are unacceptable.
“I would like to share some context.
“Maria Gasparovic appears to hold considerable resentment toward Moët Hennessy, driven by personal ambition that led her to believe she could claim a position that did not exist at the time and was eventually not opened due to budgetary constraints. Her behaviour, following that decision, changed drastically: she claimed to have been subject to sexist discrimination, she began making comments and sharing posts that can be construed as bullying and these were directed to employees and clients.
“As a member of the Distribution Executive team she was privy to confidential information and in addition had access to personal information pertaining to colleagues, to which she did not apply the required confidentiality measures. Holding such a position she should have disclosed information regarding her personal situation and personal relations as a conflict of interest, but did not do so.
“She created an environment that was destructive and Moët Hennessy had no choice but to terminate her contract even if some of the above-mentioned elements and others, like threats of blackmail, were only brought to light subsequently.
“Instead of challenging her termination in court, she started a press campaign and MH had no choice but to file a libel suit based on these false allegations. In 2025, she finally challenged her termination in court and MH will strongly defend the case. Ultimately, Maria Gasparovic chose to exploit a situation that she herself created – one rooted in her personal agenda and which is now being used in an attempt to justify financial compensation. After her strategy failed, she attempted to invoke whistleblower status, again manipulating the systems that are intended to protect.
“This behaviour, both toward our company and certain colleagues, was clearly at odds with our values. These actions took place outside of any formal oversight and were facilitated by the complacency of a few individuals, and even to the point of intentional support from others.
“Such conduct cannot be tolerated. This is the reason for her departure.
“With regard to the place of women in our company, I cannot accept the attacks directed at my predecessor, Philippe Schaus [former chief executive], whose behaviour was beyond reproach in all interactions. Philippe spent considerable time embedding a vision and values that were in keeping with equity. Philippe was instrumental in appointing women to some key critical roles that today sit at the COMEX of MH, such as the EVP of Human Resources, the president for Maison Moët, the CFO, and a new regional president for Asia. Since 2020, we have successfully achieved gender parity at executive and manager level rising from 45 to 50% in less than 5 years. He initiated a genuine cultural shift at Moët Hennessy – one that has brought greater equity and diversity to our organisation.
“This is a commitment I fully intend to carry forward as president of Moët Hennessy.
“I will never tolerate such behaviour.
“Like you, I believe in our core values, and I will not accept them being called into question. Seeing these values misrepresented in the press is not only disappointing to me but I know it is also deeply unsettling for all of you who work so hard to uphold them. I share your frustration and concern that the press has failed to accurately and fairly represent events.
“I understand that these accusations, along with commentary about our culture, may raise concerns.
“I want to underscore that Moët Hennessy is committed to continuously upholding a positive and supportive environment for all.”
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