The UK’s Financial Times has reported that four women have decided to discontinue their claims with Harrods after concerns over conflicts of interest and poor communication.
The women, who are now considering legal action against their experiences with Al Fayed, have said that their claims may include personal injury, psychiatric damage and loss of employment opportunities.
The article reports that Harrods is using an external consultant to liaise with alleged victims and interview them and that the consultant previously worked in Harrods’ HR team for over a decade until the summer of 2023.
One of the women also claimed that she had repeatedly been denied a recording of her interview.
Other complaints about the process from the women the FT spoke to include the fact that the email address Harrods used to contact them contained Al Fayed’s name, Harrods has amended the address in recent weeks.
Justice for Harrods Survivors barrister Maria Mulla who represents three of the women is quoted in the article saying: “Any settlement process needs to be independent and transparent. This is crucial when Harrods is undertaking its own internal investigation, and the police are openly investigating matters.”
The full article may be read here: https://www.ft.com/content/247ee958-e295-45e1-aad5-72f822c7830e