A class action lawsuit appears to be brewing against the leadership of one of America’s most well-known retailers.
“Weitz & Luxenberg is planning on filing lawsuits on behalf of victims of sex trafficking who were lured and coerced by former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries,” a recent entry on the law firm’s website reads.
Their case comes after the federal criminal indictment and arrest of Jeffries and two associates, Matthew Smith and James Jacobson, in late October on sex trafficking charges.
Weitz & Luxenberg’s website says that the firm “is taking immediate action” and that its lawyers intend “to claim the defendants violated a specific law called the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).”
The TVPRA is a federal statute that has been amended and expanded several times since it was first passed in 2000.
“The TVPRA creates a civil remedy against direct perpetrators and beneficiaries who (1) knowingly benefit (2) from participation in a venture (3) that the person knew or should have known has engaged in forced labor, human trafficking, or other specified acts related to trafficking or slavery,” the law firm website Faegre Drinker states.
The Weitz & Luxenberg statement further alleges that “[the] defendants violated federal law by promising [alleged victims] opportunities for legal, paid male model work but, instead, engaged them in sex trafficking activities.”
“What these defendants are charged with is reprehensible,” the plaintiff’s attorney Jared Scotto said on the firm website. “They preyed on impressionable young men who trusted them. And the defendants betrayed that trust in some of the most horrific ways possible. This is unconscionable.”
Weitz & Luxenberg appears to have ratcheted up its efforts to reach out to potential victims in recent days. On November 19, ads sprang up on Instagram to raise awareness of the brewing action and to make contact with interested stakeholders.
If someone engages with the New York-based firm’s ad, it asks for basic contact information and years of employment by the Abercrombie corporation.
Allegations of misconduct at the legacy retailer first began to swirl in the public sphere in the fall of 2023 when the BBC published an investigation into Jeffries that revealed accusations of abuse.
Almost exactly one year later, federal law enforcement brought the criminal case.
“The indictment alleges that between December 2008 and March 2015, Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson used a combination of force, fraud and coercion to traffic men while operating a prostitution enterprise,” the Department of Justice said during the announcement of the legal action on October 22.
The DOJ announcement stated that the men did this for their pleasure and the pleasure of others in the U.S. and multiple other countries.
“As further alleged in the indictment, Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to travel within the United States and internationally to various locations, including the Hamptons on Long Island, New York City and hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco and Saint Barthélémy, for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts with Jeffries, Smith and others (the ‘Sex Events’),” the announcement read.
Abercrombie has reportedly said that the company is “committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement as the legal process continues.”
“As we shared when the accusations were first made public in October 2023, we are appalled and disgusted by the alleged behavior of Mr. Jeffries, whose employment with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ended nearly ten years ago,” a company spokesman told CNBC.
“For close to a decade, we have successfully transformed our brands and culture into the values-driven organization we are today,” the spokesman added. “We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind.”
Jeffries, who led the apparel brand from 1992 to 2014, has retained a lawyer named Brian Bieber. “We will respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse — not the media,” Bieber told NBC.