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• A US tech CEO is reported to have made his former employee enter into a “sex slavery” contract that compelled her to be sexually available at all times.
• Jane Doe, the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the CEO, asserts she was forced to sign the contract due to fear of losing her job.
Christian Lanng, co-founder and former CEO of San Francisco-based tech startup Tradeshift, has been accused of forcing his executive assistant into sexual slavery. The assistant alleges that she was coerced into signing a contract that mandated her to be sexually available at all times and consequently suffered years of abuse. Lanng denies these accusations, stating that the relationship was consensual and that he regrets hiring someone he was romantically involved with.
The assistant, identified as Jane Doe for privacy reasons, claims Lanng forced her to sign the contract a few months following her appointment. The alleged nine-page contract required the assistant not only to be sexually available but also to maintain her weight within a specified range and to receive punishment without any complaint. Doe claimed in the lawsuit that she signed the contract out of fear of losing her job as she loved her work and did not want to relinquish the opportunity to work at Tradeshift.
Lanng was dismissed earlier this year due to “gross misconduct on multiple grounds” following the discovery of “serious allegations of sexual assault and harassment” against him. Refuting the allegations, Lanng stated the claims were defamatory and categorically false, emphasizing his relationship with the plaintiff was consensual.
Regretting the decision to hire someone he was romantically involved with, he acknowledged it was a grave error of judgment and said it was a mistake he would not repeat. He further clarified that while it was not a violation of Tradeshift’s human resources policies, it was irresponsible.
