SUIT: VICTORIA’S SECRET IS FAVORING RICH MEN
NEW YORK — Victoria’s Secret Catalogue Inc. is being sued by a woman who claims the company discriminates against women and the poor by offering deeper discounts to affluent men.
Denise Katzman says in papers filed in federal court in Manhattan that Victoria’s Secret Catalogue has been sending affluent men promotions entitling them to $25 off purchases of over $75 while less wealthy women get promotions offering to take only $10 off purchases of $75 or more.
Executives at Victoria’s Secret Catalogue would not comment Tuesday, but said they were studying the complaint. Victoria’s Secret Catalogue is a division of The Limited Inc., which is also named as a defendant.
In the suit, Katzman claimed Victoria’s Secret Catalogue has been offering two versions of some catalogs for the past two years.
She said the cataloger’s practice of sending out two different promotions was the subject of a 1995 CBS television news report. At the time, the company said the dual promotions resulted from a “test-marketing” mistake and vowed it would not happen again, according to Katzman.
The suit, which seeks class action status, asks the court to prevent Victoria’s Secret Catalogue from continuing to mail “false and fraudulent and misleading catalogs” and make the firm publicly apologize for its allegedly deceptive acts.
The suits also seeks $1.5 million in damages to cover approximately 100,000 customers who were “deprived of $15 additional savings” and unspecified punitive damages.