Johnson Settles Sex Harassment Case, Moves On From JWT

After a two-plus year legal odyssey, Erin Johnson, former chief communications officer at JWT, has settled her sexual harassment and retaliation law suit against former JWT CEO Gustavo Martinez, the agency and its parent WPP.

The terms of the settlement agreement are confidential and will not be disclosed, says an agency spokesperson.

With the case now settled, Johnson has resigned — effective immediately — from the agency, saying: “The past few years have been challenging to say the least, and I am grateful for the love and encouragement from family, friends and those of you in the industry who spoke up and offered support. Thank you."

For its part, JWT released an internal memo announcing the settlement and "offering Erin our best wishes in her future endeavors,” stated JWT CEO Tamara Ingram. “I know this has been a challenging time for everyone. We now need to look forward and focus our efforts on reimagining the future for J. Walter Thompson and our clients.”

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The two-year lawsuit preceded the wave of recent sexual misconduct cases that hit the advertising, entertainment and other industries.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal that broke wide open last October was the first in a flurry of sexual-misconduct cases that has sparked movements and inspired more women to step forward, state their cases publicly and let it be known that such behavior is not going to be tolerated.

Johnson says: "I hope that my personal experience will encourage others to speak up and follow their convictions. Moving forward, I wish Tam and the JWT team success.”

This news also arrives one day after JWT’s parent company WPP disclosed that its board is launching an investigation into allegations of “personal misconduct” by CEO Martin Sorrell, who “unreservedly” denied the claims.

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