Perfect Moment named in lawsuit, investor accused of sexual assault

Perfect Moment has been named as one of a number of defendants in a new lawsuit filed by the French skiwear brand’s former public relations consultant, Amanda Archer.

While the brand itself has been accused of breaching contractual agreements in the 65-page filing, Archer has also brought allegations of sexual assault, battery and harassment against an investor of Perfect Moment, Reeve Benaron.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed with the Superior Court of California, Benaron, who currently serves as co-CEO of Intrivo Diagnostics, “raped, sexually assaulted and battered [Archer], during a business trip, then threatened her professional standing and economic livelihood to coerce her silence”.

Archer has alleged that other defendants listed in the lawsuit, including Media Mogul Technologies, Axis Partners and Away Ajay, were aware of the alleged misconduct, and thus worked to dismantle her compensation for business introductions, public relations services and contractual rights.

According to Archer, who established Media Mogul alongside Benaron, she was behind Benaron’s introduction to Perfect Moment. Benaron ultimately invested six million dollars in the company, and now owns around 24.56 percent of the brand, allegedly due to Archer’s introduction.

It was around the time that Benaron made this investment that he allegedly assaulted Archer at the Marriott Hotel Summit Watch following a disagreement during a Roth Capital Partners Deer Valley event. In the proceeding weeks, Benaron is then said to have continued to pressure Archer into sexual activity, the lawsuit reads, leaving her “in fear for her life”.

Perfect Moment already addressed the lawsuit in a statement within its most recent annual report, in which it noted that the primary complaint against the company is that of a breach of contract. Perfect Moment said the “claims are entirely without merit” and it intends to “vigorously defend the matter”.

Attorneys for Benaron had not responded to WWD’s request for comment.

July 10, 4:30pm CEST. Archer's lawyer, Jonathan Lee Borsuk, has issued a response to Perfect Moment's prior comments, which Borsuk said "grossly misrepresent the nature and seriousness of the [pending] litigation". "This is not, as the company suggests, a mere contractual dispute. The operative first amended complaint—filed in the Superior Court of California and publicly available—details harrowing allegations of sexual violence, coercion, retaliation, and systemic efforts to silence and economically punish a woman who dared to speak out. It also describes a deliberate scheme to circumvent agreements, exploit Ms. Archer’s business relationships, and facilitate a multimillion-dollar investment—benefiting Perfect Moment Ltd.—without compensation or acknowledgment," the statement added.

Borsuk called Perfect Moment's use of the term "meritless" was "a glaring omission of material fact", before continuing: "At a moment in history when society has demanded greater accountability for sexual misconduct and abuse of power, this case stands as one of the most serious and clear-cut examples imaginable. That Perfect Moment Ltd.—a company that markets itself as a luxury brand for women—would treat these allegations with such indifference is not only legally irresponsible, it is morally staggering. The company’s response is not just tone-deaf; it is emblematic of the very culture of denial and erasure that the #MeToo movement seeks to confront."