This Tuesday, January 21, 2025, the Court of Cassation will deliver its verdict on the appeals made by the former CEO of France Telecom Didier Lombart and his number two after their conviction in 2022 by the Paris Court of Appeal.
This is the legal epilogue to a case emblematic of suffering at work. The Court of Cassation rules on Tuesday on the appeals filed by the former CEO of France Telecom and his number 2 after their conviction for serious institutional harassment which resulted in a wave of suicides.
The highest court had examined the arguments raised by all parties during a hearing on November 13. The Advocate General had recommended the dismissal of the appeals. The Court can decide to reject the appeals, which would make the decision final, but also partially revise this decision or even order a new trial.
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Moral harassment at France Telecom: former CEO Didier Lombard sees his prison sentence reduced on appeal
The former boss of France Télécom Didier Lombard, 82, and his number 2 Louis-Pierre Wenès, 75, were sentenced on September 30, 2022 by the Paris Court of Appeal to one year in prison and 15,000 euros. fines of euros, lighter sentences compared to those handed down at first instance in 2019.
-“To the end”
The two former managers of France Telecom (which became Orange in 2013) faced justice due to the implementation in 2006 of two restructuring plans (from 2007 to 2010) following the privatization of the company (2004 ) and providing for the departure of 22,000 employees and the mobility of 10,000 others (out of some 120,000 employees).
At first instance, the two men were sentenced to one year in prison, including four months for their “preeminent role” in the implementation of a workforce reduction policy “die-hard” over the period 2007-2008 within France Telecom. These departures “forced march” with “prohibited methods” had led to a “deterioration of working conditions” of “thousands of employees”some of whom committed suicide.
The crisis came to light after the suicide in July 2009 of Michel Deparis, a Marseille technician who directly blamed France Telecom in a letter. France Telecom has become the symbol of suffering at work. The company, which did not appeal, was sanctioned with the maximum fine of 75,000 euros in a historic judgment, becoming the first CAC 40 company condemned for a “moral harassment.” institutional.
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