DC Entertainment has suspended Group Editor Eddie Berganza after an article describing multiple sexual harassment allegations against him appeared on Buzzfeed Friday afternoon. The company released a statement, posted on social media by writer Kurt Busiek:
"DC Entertainment has immediately suspended Mr. Berganza and has removed him from performing his duties as Group editor at DC Comics. There will be a prompt and yet careful review into next steps as it relates to the allegations against him, and the concerns our talent, employees, and fans have shared. DC continues to be extremely committed to creating a safe and secure working environment for our employees and everyone involved in the creation of our comic books."
This isn’t the first time DC has released a statement in response to allegations against Berganza. In the summer of 2016, DC released a statement on its policies regarding sexual harassment after former DC Associate Editor Janelle Asselin reacted to the news that Vertigo Executive Editor Shelly Bond’s position had been eliminated by revealing that she’d filed a sexual harassment claim against Berganza in 2010 and left DC after he’d been promoted despite her claim (see "DC Releases Statement on Workplace Harassment").
The Buzzfeed article recapped Asselin’s charges, along with those of former DC editors Joan Hilty and Liz Gehrlein Marsham, who described similar behavior. Five women had gone to DC Human Resources to report Berganza’s behavior (in some cases re-report) in 2010 after he was promoted, according to the report. Buzzfeed also reported on an incident at Wondercon in 2012 in which Berganza allegedly forcibly kissed a woman in the Hilton lobby bar.
The Buzzfeed article comes in the context of sexual harassment and assault allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, which led to an explosion of similar allegations against numerous other figures in the entertainment business.
After 'Buzzfeed' Article
Posted by ICv2 on November 13, 2017 @ 4:15 am CT