Amazon faced a major setback on Tuesday, October 20, when Laura Danbom, an employee of seven years, accused a top-performing advertising executive of violating her at an office party.
Michelangelo Simonte allegedly took what began as a night of flirtatious conversation in an unexpected direction in 2023, a lawsuit states.
She said she reported the incident to HR, hoping the department would support her, but was instead instructed to keep the matter to herself.
Highlights
- Laura Danbom alleged that Amazon failed to properly investigate her complaint against a senior colleague.
- The company reportedly instructed her not to discuss the allegations at work.
- Danbom claimed she had to give up a promotion to avoid working with Simonte.
“This shouldn’t happen to anybody,” Danbom lamented.
Danbom alleged Simonte crossed a line during their business trip to New York
Danbom’s lawsuit revealed that she worked at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, while Simonte was based in Madrid.
The pair met during a business trip to New York City on October 27, 2023, and attended an event featuring an open bar and karaoke room.
Early in the evening, they “flirted,” “joked,” and “got along.”
At the end of the night, Simonte “kissed her” and “persuaded” her to let him accompany her to her hotel room.
It was there that things took a disturbing turn, the lawsuit details.
“Before the r*pe started, she said no. During the r*pe, she asked him: ‘You realize this is,’ and Simonte finished her sentence, saying, ‘r*pe? Yes.’”
Danbom reported the incident to the New York Police Department the following day, handing investigators a barrier contraceptive Simonte had allegedly left behind.
She also underwent the required medical examinations.
During a phone call between Danbom and Simonte that detectives monitored in hopes of obtaining a potential confession, Simonte said he was “200% sure” that they had never been intimate. However, he later contradicted himself during a police interview, claiming he was too drunk to remember what had happened.
This, though, was not enough for the NYPD to charge him. Investigators eventually closed the case, saying they had exhausted all investigative avenues.
Two days after the incident, Danbom reached out to Amazon’s human resources department.
The company launched an investigation and placed Simonte on monthslong leave of absence.
However, Danbom told The New York Post that they ultimately concluded he had not violated its policies.
Danbom accused Amazon of “willfully” ignoring evidence against Simonte
Danbom’s lawsuit alleged that Amazon closed its investigation without speaking to witnesses who could corroborate her account.
It also claimed that, during the inquiry, she was “asked inappropriate and re-traumatizing questions” that suggested she had not done enough to stop the alleged misconduct.
These reportedly included questions challenging her on “whether she yelled ‘no.’”
According to the lawsuit, Amazon’s human resources department told Danbom it would reopen the case if New York prosecutors brought charges against Simonte.
“It prevented me from warning other women who might have interacted with him at events,” Danbom told The Post.
Simonte was never fired by Amazon.
In fact, the company allegedly required Danbom to “work with Simonte directly, by phone, by email and in remote settings.”
Amazon issued a statement in response to the lawsuit after it made headlines
“We take any allegation of this nature extremely seriously, and we have zero tolerance for workplace s**ual misconduct or violence of any kind,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said, per NYP.
“We thoroughly investigate each report we receive and take appropriate action up to and including termination against those who are found to have violated our policies,” she added.
The e-commerce company described its policies as robust and claimed it had trained investigators in place to ensure every concern was handled with appropriate care.
Amazon concluded that it would refrain from sharing further details about the case because of the “pending” litigation.
Danbom told The Post that she was transferred to a different position within Amazon in 2024.
Michelangelo Simonte’s alleged misconduct reportedly cost Danbom a promotion
Danbom worked as a marketing and operations manager for Amazon Web Services at the time of the alleged incident and was in line for a more senior role.
However, she reportedly gave up the opportunity to avoid working with Simonte, according to NYP.
She told the outlet that she accepted a lateral transfer after applying for 10 positions within the company.
Speaking to KUOW, a Seattle-based news outlet, Danbom said she felt let down by Amazon when she expected the company to protect her.
She also accused the company of wanting to cause her “more harm.”
In her complaint, Danbom is seeking compensation for “lost wages, including front and back pay, lost bonuses and other benefits of employment in an amount to be proven at trial.”
"People always blame the victim. So sad," a netizen said about Danbom's allegations
