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Business Breaking

#MeToo snares more than 400 high-profile people

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bill Cosby departs the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., in April. Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.

At least 417 high-profile executives and employees across fields and industries have been outed by the #MeToo Movement in 18 months, according to data collected by a New York-based crisis consulting firm.

The study looked at national news articles that singled out people for sexual harassment or other similar misdeeds, said Davia Temin, whose firm Temin & Co. did the research. Individuals with at least seven separate, national mentions were included. That includes celebrities like Bill Cosby and Louis CK, but the vast majority are corporate executives and business leaders like Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who resigned late last week after revelations of an affair with an employee.

Among 417 people accused, 193 were fired or left their jobs. Another 122 have been put on leave, suspended or are facing investigations since December 2016. For about 69 people, there were no repercussions. In recent months, the rate of accusations has been slowing but the percentage of people being fired has increased, Temin said. Three more executives have been added over the weekend, she said, including executives from Netflix Inc., shoe company C&J Clark Ltd. and an earlier incident involving fashion brand Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC.

“It started to become a tsunami, certainly after Weinstein, and it sparked other stories in the same industry and then across all industries,” Temin said. “I think it’s settled into a new plateau, but it is certainly higher than we’ve ever had before.”

Only eight of the people, like Kraznich, were said to be involved in consensual relationships. Out of the 414 people accused, all but seven are men. Much of the behavior is related to incidents that may have happened a long time ago but surfaced now as tolerance has dropped and it’s become more newsworthy.

“The eagle eyes are out for this,” Temin said. “Women understand a little better their collective power, and they’re using it.”

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