Richard Meier & Partners Defends Its Current Harassment Policies in New Statement

In a story published by the New York Times today, four more women came forward alleging that Pritzker Prize–winning architect Richard Meier sexually harassed them. Meier took a six-month leave of absence from the firm following an earlier article where five other women, four of whom were employed by Meier, recounted instances of being harassed.

But his eponymous New York and Los Angeles–based firm, responding to a request for comment from Metropolis, maintains that the alleged abuses, which reportedly took place over many years (from the 1980s to 2009) are not an accurate reflection of the firm today.

According to the firm, it took concrete measures to protect its employees by implementing an anti-harassment training program as soon as senior management became aware of allegations in 2009.

“The allegations involving Richard Meier, the most recent of which were nearly a decade old, do not reflect the ethos and culture of the firm and it would be irresponsible to allow these personal allegations to tarnish the company and the associate partners in New York or the partners in Los Angeles,” the firm says.

It continued, “In 2009, when New York senior management became aware of allegations, they took immediate action including retaining an outside expert to implement an anti-harassment training program, which included new policies and procedures and the designation of two executives to investigate future complaints.”

The firm, whose full statement is included below, also emphasized that over the years it has retained a large portion of women employees.

The allegations involving Richard Meier, the most recent of which were nearly a decade old, do not reflect the ethos and culture of the firm and it would be irresponsible to allow these personal allegations to tarnish the company and the associate partners in New York or the partners in Los Angeles.

In 2009, when New York senior management became aware of allegations, they took immediate action including retaining an outside expert to implement an anti-harassment training program, which included new policies and procedures and the designation of two executives to investigate future complaints.

The world-renowned achievements of the firm are due not only to brilliant architectural design and execution but also to an environment that respects a diverse, motivated staff. That the average tenure of professionals at the firm – nearly 50% of them women – is 13 years, is a testament to the positive workplace at Richard Meier & Partners.