A global client discovered isolated but awful incidents of sexual harassment, bullying and workplace toxicity at one of their offices. The client had gone above and beyond in their legal and moral response to the victims, and eradicated the culture of toxic masculinity. But a complainant had approached the media under the #MeToo banner with untrue allegations to induce the company to pay an exorbitant settlement fee. The company faced significant commercial risks if the claims weren’t sensitively and accurately resolved in the courts of public opinion.

We immediately developed and implemented the following with the company’s
senior executive team including CEO:

• media risk protocol with clear lines of responsibility for the client’s lawyers, spokesperson and internal fact-gathering team 

  
  
• comprehensive, robust and detailed strategic messaging document to underpin every proactive communication on the issue
  
  
• thorough and detailed reactive ‘lines to take’ in preparation for difficult media enquiries – this was aimed at eliminating any element of surprise
  
  
• media training for the company spokesperson and lawyer
  
  
• assessment of media risks and opportunities as the landscape evolved 

  
  
• 24/7 availability and access to a team of senior and experienced crisis communications professionals 


The client successfully navigated this enormously difficult media terrain and retained all their clients.