Dov Charney

A New York judge has temporarily halted a $250-million sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former employee against Dov Charney, the controversial chief executive of American Apparel Inc. The ruling came in response to a motion filed Wednesday by the Los Angeles clothing maker that contended that the issues raised by Irene Morales' lawsuit should be settled in confidential arbitration and not at trial. She alleged in her lawsuit that Charney forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment in 2008, when she was 18, and that he sexually harassed her for months, including demanding that she send him explicit photographs, e-mails and text messages.

Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. reported improving fourth-quarter and full-year financial results Wednesday but continues to struggle with red ink despite a rise in sales. But the retailer said it was pleased that it had secured two lines of credit that would give the company more stability, and said it no longer was concerned about its ability to stay in business. "Now we are working to stabilize the business," said Dov Charney, American Apparel's founder and chief executive.

Shareholders elected to keep American Apparel Inc. founder Dov Charney on its board of directors, according to voting results announced at the troubled Los Angeles clothing maker's annual meeting Friday. In recent months American Apparel has been beset by a host of problems including sales declines, losses, problems with its debt and delayed quarterly filings. Two other board members, Mark Samson and Mark A. Thornton, were also reelected. Each will serve a three-year term. Shareholders also approved the ratification of Marcum as the company's independent auditor.

Los Angeles clothier American Apparel Inc. continued to struggle in the third quarter with red ink, but reported a narrower loss and a rise in sales. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, the company reported a loss of $7.2 million, or 7 cents a share, compared with a loss of $9.5 million, or 13 cents, a year earlier. Total sales rose 5% to $140.9 million. Online sales increased 11%. Comparable-store sales, an important barometer of a retailer's health, rose 3%; American Apparel measures comparable-store sales as the combination of online sales and sales at stores open at least a year.

Los Angeles clothing maker American Apparel Inc. lashed out Thursday against four former employees who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company and Dov Charney, its chief executive. The company said that the four women were friends who were colluding to "shake down" Charney and the company for money and that it had "voluminous evidence" to prove that the allegations were false. "These allegations are preposterous," said Frank Seddigh, a lawyer for American Apparel.

When author Robert Greene wrote his bestselling book "The 48 Laws of Power," his win-at-all-costs message turned him into a cult hero with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike. Crush your enemy totally, he wrote in Law 15. Play a sucker to catch a sucker, he said in another. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit. Greene's warrior-like take on the quest for power, written more than a decade ago, would eventually attract another devotee: Dov Charney, the provocative and sometimes impish chief executive of Los Angeles clothing company American Apparel Inc. The 52-year-old Greene — a former screenwriter who speaks five languages and worked 80 jobs before writing "The 48 Laws" — has become Charney's guru, a trusted confidant to the 42-year-old entrepreneur and, insiders say, a voice of reason on American Apparel's board of directors.

American Apparel's brand identity has always been closely linked to its provocative chief executive, Dov Charney. His unconventional, edgy persona helped fuel the Los Angeles clothing maker's swift rise up the retail ladder, turning what began as a gritty wholesale T-shirt operation into a hipster empire known for colorful cotton staples and overtly sexual advertisements, some photographed by Charney himself. But it has also repeatedly landed Charney in hot water, with former employees accusing the 42-year-old founder of crude remarks, a hostile work environment and a promiscuous lifestyle that includes having consensual sex with his employees, according to one of his former lawyers.

A Chicago federal judge has dismissed one of three sexual harassment lawsuits pending against Los Angeles garment maker American Apparel Inc. and its owner, Dov Charney. American Apparel, which manufactures T-shirts, jackets and other casual wear in its downtown factory, has cultivated an edgy, provocative image in its advertising and in published interviews with Charney. The Chicago suit, dismissed last week at the request of plaintiff Julie Carrozzi, was filed in August.

How self-serving of Dov Charney of American Apparel Inc. to extol the benefits of open borders -- the benefits for him, that is ("Employer Is for Open U.S. Door," Golden State, April 20). He readily admits half the employees in his industry are illegal. Charney and his business should be raided and criminals like him arrested. His industry gets all the benefits of cheap labor and the rest of the state watches towns and schools and hospitals deteriorate. And he is going to bus his illegals to rallies.

A day after American Apparel Inc. admitted that its future hangs by a thread, the hipster Los Angeles clothing maker and retailer was scrambling to overhaul operations, bolster sales and repair its faltering image. After warning this week that there was "substantial doubt that the company will be able to continue as a going concern," the company saw its stock fall 21.3% on Wednesday, ending at an all-time low of 81 cents. That was on the heels of a 26% plunge the day before. In recent months, the troubled company has been beset by sales declines, losses, a crackdown on undocumented workers, problems with its debt, delayed quarterly filings and, most recently, an investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in New York related to the company's abrupt change in accounting firms.

When author Robert Greene wrote his bestselling book "The 48 Laws of Power," his win-at-all-costs message turned him into a cult hero with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike. Crush your enemy totally, he wrote in Law 15. Play a sucker to catch a sucker, he said in another. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit. Greene's warrior-like take on the quest for power, written more than a decade ago, would eventually attract another devotee: Dov Charney, the provocative and sometimes impish chief executive of Los Angeles clothing company American Apparel Inc. The 52-year-old Greene — a former screenwriter who speaks five languages and worked 80 jobs before writing "The 48 Laws" — has become Charney's guru, a trusted confidant to the 42-year-old entrepreneur and, insiders say, a voice of reason on American Apparel's board of directors.

???Two American Apparel Inc. board members have resigned, Chief Executive Dov Charney said. The move was expected after the Los Angeles clothing maker reported last week that it had appointed two new board members, one of them effective immediately, the other effective "upon a future board vacancy. " Charney denied speculation that the two outgoing directors, Mark Samson and Mark Thornton, had been forced out because they disagreed with the company's decision not to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the spring during a liquidity crisis.

American Apparel Inc. is getting a desperately needed financial lifeline. A group of Canadian investors has agreed to inject up to $45 million to help the trendy Los Angeles clothier — and its iconoclastic chief executive, Dov Charney — stave off a potential bankruptcy filing. The retailer has been buffeted by declining sales and a sagging stock price — not to mention a public-relations firestorm stemming from sexual-harassment lawsuits filed by former employees against Charney.

American Apparel Inc. Chief Executive Dov Charney is shooting down reports that the Los Angeles clothing company is looking for a buyer. "I'm not surprised that there would be interest in the company, and at times, there has been, but it's not accurate," Charney said. "We're not looking, and it's not going to happen. " On Wednesday, a report on private equity online forum peHUB said American Apparel had hired advisor Rothschild to help it explore a potential sale, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

American Apparel Inc. said sales declined and it lost money in 2010, and it warned that several risk factors this year could force it to seek bankruptcy protection if business doesn't improve. In its 2010 annual report, filed Thursday, the Los Angeles clothing company — currently embroiled in two sexual harassment lawsuits that former employees filed in March — reported sales of $533 million last year, a 4.6% decline from 2009. It also reported a net loss of $86.3 million for 2010 and said it expected an operating loss for 2011.

Los Angeles clothing maker American Apparel Inc. lashed out Thursday against four former employees who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company and Dov Charney, its chief executive. The company said that the four women were friends who were colluding to "shake down" Charney and the company for money and that it had "voluminous evidence" to prove that the allegations were false. "These allegations are preposterous," said Frank Seddigh, a lawyer for American Apparel.

The sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former employee against American Apparel and its founder, Dov Charney, will be decided by binding arbitration, Charney's attorney said Thursday. Both sides will be bound by the decision of the arbitrator or private judge they select. That means it is unlikely a jury will hear the plaintiff's account of Charney conducting business clad only in his underwear or, occasionally, something even skimpier.

Troubled clothing firm American Apparel Inc. said Tuesday that its second-quarter sales probably fell compared with a year earlier and that it expected to report a loss. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Los Angeles company also said that it was "unable, without unreasonable effort and expense," to file its quarterly report on time for the three months that ended June 30. The company blamed its weak total sales on a decrease in retail sales, although it didn't provide specific figures.

A New York judge has temporarily halted a $250-million sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former employee against Dov Charney, the controversial chief executive of American Apparel Inc. The ruling came in response to a motion filed Wednesday by the Los Angeles clothing maker that contended that the issues raised by Irene Morales' lawsuit should be settled in confidential arbitration and not at trial. She alleged in her lawsuit that Charney forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment in 2008, when she was 18, and that he sexually harassed her for months, including demanding that she send him explicit photographs, e-mails and text messages.

American Apparel's brand identity has always been closely linked to its provocative chief executive, Dov Charney. His unconventional, edgy persona helped fuel the Los Angeles clothing maker's swift rise up the retail ladder, turning what began as a gritty wholesale T-shirt operation into a hipster empire known for colorful cotton staples and overtly sexual advertisements, some photographed by Charney himself. But it has also repeatedly landed Charney in hot water, with former employees accusing the 42-year-old founder of crude remarks, a hostile work environment and a promiscuous lifestyle that includes having consensual sex with his employees, according to one of his former lawyers.