Elton John loses bid to keep sexual harassment case under wraps

Elton John. FILE PHOTO BY MAGIC MALIWANAG

Internationally renowned singer and song writer Sir Elton John has lost a four-month legal battle to prevent the reporting of claims that he sexually harassed a male employee.

According to a Telegraph report, his former staff member has withdrawn claims of sexual discrimination and unfair dismissal against the singer, after reaching an out-of-court settlement.

The 69-year-old superstar strongly denied any wrongdoing and believed to have paid the man a six-figure sum to have the sexual harassment claims subsequently withdrawn, the report said.

His lawyers, meanwhile,  tried to stop the case, which was filed at a London employment tribunal, from being reported.

The Sun, a UK tabloid,  however, confirmed on Sunday (Monday in Manila)  that it had won a battle to publish the allegations, which were strongly denied by the music icon.

The “Rocket Man” singer’s former employee, Jeffrey Wenninger, brought the claim after parting ways with the star in June 2015.

“These employment proceedings were brought after Sir Elton John’s company parted ways with one of its employees in June 2015,” a spokesman for Sir Elton was quoted as saying in the report.

“The claims were always strongly denied and we continue to deny them. Sir Elton John is pleased that the former employee withdrew them in full and that the issue was settled in February this year,” the representative added.

Initial reports of Sir Elton’s alleged sexual harassment emerged in March, when a former bodyguard claimed that the singer told him to “get your todger out” and “say hello to Uncle Elton.”

According to court documents filed in California, Wenninger claimed that Sir Elton pulled his nipples, tried to grab his genitals, and told him he had “so many gay genes.”

The claims, however,  were dismissed by the musician’s lawyers as a “baseless lawsuit brought by a disgruntled former security officer seeking to extract an undeserved payment.”

Orin Snyder, a lawyer from Sir Elton’s record company, Rocket Entertainment Group, also  strongly denied the allegations and said they would be contested.

“These claims are patently untrue and contradicted by numerous previous statements made by this plaintiff. We will not give in to his latest abuse of the legal system,” he said.  Khristian Ibarrola