McDonald’s Settles Lawsuit With Ex-CEO Over Alleged Lies About Affairs
On Thursday, McDonald’s Corp said it had reached a settlement with ex-CEO Steve Easterbrook to resolve a lawsuit in which the fast-food restaurant chain claimed he covered up and lied about his sexual relationships with employees.
Under the settlement, Easterbrook has returned the equity awards and $105 million he received as a severance package in 2019.
Easterbrook was sued by McDonald’s in August 2020, claiming he never gave directors a full picture of his relationships with employees at the company. Mcdonald’s said that, when it fired Easterbrook, it was only aware of one, non-physical and consensual relationship with an employee. However, an anonymous tip after Easterbrook’s dismal led to McDonald’s discovering dozens of sexually explicit photographs of women, three of which were employees, that Easterbrook had sent to his personal email from his company account.
Easterbrook claimed that McDonald’s had information about his relationships when his severance package was negotiated.
Following the settlement, McDonald’s said it would dismiss its action against the ex-CEO.
