Top adviser seeks millions over sexual allegations

Christina Rich, a financial advisor recruited from New Zealand six years ago to become a million-dollar partner in the Australian arm of accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, is suing the firm over sexual harassment claims.

Ms Rich, 41, returned home to Sydney from London yesterday to pursue a A$10 million ($10.7 million) claim against 20 PricewaterhouseCoopers partners -- including chief executive Tony Harrington and the entire board, led by chairman Paul Brasher.

She has alleged sexual harassment and discrimination, victimisation and bullying, the Australian newspaper reported.

Ms Rich, considered one of the top five advisers in the Asia-Pacific in the area of transfer pricing, has advised major clients such as American Express on moving global profit from one tax jurisdiction to another to save millions of dollars.

But she has claimed in Australia's biggest workplace sexism lawsuit that a "boys club" culture existed at PricewaterhouseCoopers that restricted her and other women from progressing through the ranks, the newspaper reported.

And she has alleged that a partner felt her breasts and that her immediate boss repeatedly invited her to his hotel room during a conference in 1999 -- shortly after she was recruited from New Zealand -- and adopted a practice of greeting her with a kiss, despite her objections.

The partner with overall responsibility for Ms Rich's division of transfer pricing was Stuart Edwards.

In November 1999 when the partners were attending PricewaterhouseCooper's global transfer pricing conference, Ms Rich found five handwritten notes from "Stuart" under her door at her Santa Monica Hotel room.

"Christina, if you would like to carry on that conversation we were having in the bar I am in room ... Stuart," one said. Another said: "I've gone to bed but please wake me if you are still awake, Stuart." Ms Rich said she recognised the handwriting as Mr Edwards's.

Ms Rich further alleged Mr Edwards regularly kissed her on the cheek and when she objected he told her that he "knew what was best for (her)".

In a statement of claim filed in the Federal Court in Sydney, Ms Rich alleged that between 1999 and last year, repeated sexual harassment went unchecked and her complaints about discrimination were not taken seriously.

Instead, she was punished by being banned from carrying out her job at the firm and was now restricted from seeking another job.

For more than a year she has been on "access restrictions", which mean she remains legally employed as a senior partner but is being paid less than half her salary.

Mr Harrington, whom she alleged victimised and discriminated against her, would not comment yesterday but said previously in a statement that the firm was saddened by the dispute.

"The claim brought by Ms Rich will be defended and PricewaterhouseCoopers is confident of a favourable outcome," Mr Harrington said.

A spokesman said the firm was not considering a negotiated settlement prior to a directions hearing in the Federal Court on February 10 next year.

In her legal claim Ms Rich said that at Sydney's Orient Hotel in November 2001 after a work function and in the presence of colleagues, another partner pushed her against a wall, forcibly undid her bra and felt her breasts.

In February 2002 during a discussion about her success with clients, another partner, Greg Lazarus, was alleged to have said: "That's because, Christina, they are talking to your breasts".

At a young leaders' conference in May last year a video showing a woman sunbathing topless was displayed and another partner and board member, Tim Cox, allegedly asked: "Christina, is that you sunbathing on the beach?".

On August 16 last year she told Mr Harrington she would lodge a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Three days later, with board approval, Mr Harrington put her on "access restrictions", which included a ban on her communicating with clients, visiting PricewaterhouseCoopers, contacting the firm, or using its equipment.

Ms Rich returned to her home in the affluent Sydney suburb of Mosman yesterday after five weeks in London, where she was looking after her sick mother, but the married mother of three said she could not comment.

"Legally, I am not allowed to say anything," Ms Rich said.

The case follows a landmark settlement of US$54 million ($78.5 million) paid to several women by Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley in New York in July last year over discrimination and workplace sexism. In another case, former top Merrill Lynch bank executive Stephanie Villalba lost a £7 million ($10.18 million) sex discrimination case in London in December.

- NZPA