Kirsty Fraser-Kirk
“…when you’re done, a judgment is going to go down in the court of public opinion, my friend. And that’s the power you have.”
– Al Pacino/Lowell Bergman,The Insider.
When I first heard about Kirsty Fraser-Kirk’s $37million sexual harassment lawsuit against David Jones, I thought it was a joke. Lots of people, men and women, have to put up with all kinds of bullshit in their workplaces. Personally, as a man, I have lost a university position and had at least one job compromised as a result of it. I never even saw 37 cents.
And that was my attitude, until I read about the machinations of the lawsuit. Her logic was that she was harassed by Mark McInnes, CEO of David Jones, and her complaints had been ignored by the company. By suing for such a huge amount, she was effectively attacking the shareholders; if you damage the corporation, you stand to effectively change the culture. Her intention to then donate the money to charity sealed the ingenuity of the attempt with integrity and Kirsty Fraser Kirk became much more than a young woman complaining about harassment; she stood to become a history-maker and a hero.
I have read the repulsive excuse concocted by lawyers to justify the fact that she is now keeping the money. No doubt some of the settlement, $850K, was spent on confecting the tissue of bullshit which explains that because she didn’t receive any of the money as punitive damages, she’s keeping what she got.
Shame on you, Kirsty. For letting down every young woman who ever has to put her hand up to stop unwanted abuse in her workplace. And for obscuring the debate about sexual harassment and what it means. Granted, it must have been a nightmare, but it was about a lot more than you.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/kristy-fraser-kirk-and-mark-mcinnes-declare-truce-in-37-million-lawsuit/story-e6frf7l6-1225940032474
Theme Park at its Darkest 
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