David Jones

David Jones Limited, known as DJs is an Australia-wide chain of premium department stores. The company was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It currently has 37 stores located in most Australian States. Today David Jones share price moved down 4c, almost 1 per cent.


Kirsty Fraser-Kirk has lodged a $37 million punitive damages claim against David Jones, its directors and former chief executive Mark McInnes for repeated sexual harrassment.

The chairman of the board, Robert Savage, has rejected that the board knew of previous instances of sexual harassment and bullying by Mr McInness. She alleges that they did indeed know about it and did nothing. According to Fraser-Kirk, McInness had urged her to taste a desert saying it was like "a f*** in the mouth". He also allegedly put his hand under her clothes and repeatedly asked her to accompany him to his Bondi home with a "clear implication" for sex.

Sexual harassment cases never seem to go away. After all this time and countless court cases, men are still bullying young women at work with sexual advances they have never asked for and do not want, making their working life a misery.

It's been seven weeks since Mark McInness resigned and ran away to America with his pregnant girlfriend and yesterday he finally spoke about it. "I offered my resignation to David Jones because I had behaved in a manner unbecoming to a chief executive officer - I made mistakes and I have acknowledged those mistakes" Mc McInness, 45, said in a statement via his Sydney publicist Sue Cato. "Having said that, I reject many of the recent specific allegations and legally I have no alternative other than to vigorously contest them, and I will."

Ms Fraser-Kird has engaged one of Australia's most experienced barristers, Ian Barker QC. The matter is due to be mentioned in court on August 30 but this week's events may encourage DJs to seek an out-of-court settlement to avoid further embarrassment. Ms Fraser-Kirk has also accused DJs management and directors of allowing a culture to exist in which Mr McInnes's alleged indiscretions could continue unrestrained.

Publicist Ms Cato denied Mr McInness had been seeking treatment for sex addiction at the clinic used by golfer Tiger Woods and said she didn't know his exact whereabouts.

I applaud this young lady's actions, it takes guts to take on the might of a big corporation and she's sending a message that should ring through every boardroom in the country - tell your employees that should they receive a complaint from a female employee about sexual harassment, their employment will be immediately terminated. If this message had already been out there in the corporate world, this sorry saga would never have happened.