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Former employees accuse Richard Meier of sexual harassment and assault

#MeToo

Former employees accuse Richard Meier of sexual harassment and assault

Richard Meier (Richard Phibbs)

Multiple women have come forward to accuse Richard Meier, founding principal of Richard Meier & Partners, of sexual harassment and assault. The allegations, mostly from women who worked at the firm, span four decades and detail inappropriate touching and indecent exposure. They also include a designer who detailed an attempted sexual assault by Meier.

Speaking to the New York Times, multiple employees stated that Meier exposed himself to them at his home and suggested they pose nude for him. One former employee said Meier, now 83, grabbed her underwear through her dress at the firm’s holiday party in 2003. One woman, who did not work at his firm, stated that Meier dragged her to his bedroom and laid on top of her, ignoring her “no”s and her attempts to push him away.

When reached for comment, a spokesman for the firm sent The Architect’s Newspaper (AN) a press release that responded to the allegations.

“I am deeply troubled and embarrassed by the accounts of several women who were offended by my words and actions,” Meier said in the release. “While our recollections may differ, I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my behavior.”

Meier is taking a six-month leave of absence from the office. In the meantime, he is leaving operations to four partners: Vivian Lee, Reynolds Logan, Dukho Yeon, and Bernhard Karpf will oversee day-to-day operations at the New York office, while Michael Palladino, partner-in-charge of the firm’s Los Angeles office, will supervise projects and operations.


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