Former BlackBerry Ltd. executive named as plaintiff in sexual harassment case against CEO

Neelam Sandhu, who was the company's chief marketing officer until she left in December 2023, had originally pursued the case under the name Jane Doe

Author of the article:

The Canadian Press

Tara Deschamps

Published Aug 26, 2024  •  3 minute read

BlackBerry Ltd.'s headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario. Photo by Kevin Van Paassen/Bloomberg/File

The woman behind a lawsuit alleging BlackBerry Ltd.’s CEO sexually harassed her and then retaliated against her for reporting the behaviour is the company’s former chief marketing officer.

Lawyers for plaintiff Neelam Sandhu told a U.S. court this month that their client would voluntarily proceed with the case against the Waterloo, Ont., tech firm and its chief executive John using her real name.

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Sandhu, whose LinkedIn profile shows she spent 14 years at BlackBerry through December 2023, had originally pursued the case under the name Jane Doe — a moniker often used in court for women whose identity needs to be protected or is not yet known.

Judge Sallie Kim told Sandhu and her lawyers in July that for the case to proceed under the pseudonym, they must seek permission from the court.

Sandhu’s lawyers, Maria Bourn and Anthony Tartaglio, said in court filings that she had wanted to remain anonymous to “avoid further retaliatory actions” before she later agreed to be named, saying Sandhu hoped it would prevent harm to other women in the workplace.

Lawyers and a public relations firm representing Sandhu did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Sandhu’s case began in April, when she filed a lawsuit alleging Giamatteo had “tried to get close to her” and “woo” her, after he became the president of the company’s cybersecurity business in October 2021.

She alleges Giamatteo suggested the pair travel together and that at a dinner she understood to be a business meeting, allegedly told her stories about how he dresses up when he’s out with his daughters so people mistake him for “a dirty old man” out on a date with them.

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In court documents, Sandhu claims she reported the behaviour to BlackBerry but alleges she was then excluded from meetings and heard Giamatteo had started telling staff he wanted to get her “out.” Later, she said she was told she was being terminated effective immediately as part of a restructuring.

The claims have not been tested in court yet.

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Giamatteo and BlackBerry have fought Sandhu’s claims, saying she lost her job not because she reported harassment, but because she was part of a layoff that cut more than 200 staff from the firm as it was separating its cybersecurity and internet of things businesses.

On Monday, company spokesperson Anthony Harrison said in an email, “We continue to see no merit in the claims made by the plaintiff and will continue to defend vigorously against them.”

Bourn and Tartaglio’s court filing says defendants BlackBerry and Giamatteo opposed Sandhu’s use of a pseudonym.

When Sandhu proposed using her real name beginning either 90 days after she begins a new job or the case goes to trial, they say the defendants “rejected the overture.”

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“(The) plaintiff hoped to remain Jane Doe to rebuild her life and career with a sense of security,” Bourn and Tartaglio said in court filings.

“Defendants have refused to allow this and have instead insisted on using her name, which she has agreed to only because she seeks to prevent further harm to other women within the workplace.”

Since she began pursuing the case, Sandhu’s lawyers say she has found it difficult to showcase her skills to prospective new employers because BlackBerry removed content such as videos that demonstrate her competence and leadership.

They say prospective employers may be wary of hiring someone who is involved in a gender harassment and discrimination lawsuit against their former employer and they say they fear the stigma that comes with a case like Sandhu’s might dissuade others from filing legitimate lawsuits to effectuate change.

When Sandhu first filed her case, she told The Canadian Press she was pursuing the lawsuit because if she was “silenced,” it wouldn’t help other women.

“I feel like I have a responsibility, particularly having been at the executive level, to help other women, whether that is other women in BlackBerry or in the industry or broader than that,” she said in April.

“I am hoping that if they can hear my story, that that will help give them strength.”

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