Nov 13, 2017 - Economy

DC Comics editor suspended amid sexual harassment allegations

Shannon Vavra

Berganza in 2011. Photo: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images

Eddie Berganza has been indefinitely suspended from his role as a top editor at DC Comics in light of a BuzzFeed News report containing allegations he sexually harassed, and in some cases forcibly kissed and attempted to grope, female coworkers years ago, per the Hollywood Reporter.

BuzzFeed News cited three women on the record who claimed Berganza harassed them and cites five people, including those three women, who say they spoke to HR about Berganza's alleged behavior. None recalled receiving a follow-up from HR or documentation of their complaints. Berganza did not respond to BuzzFeed's requests for comment.

Janelle Asselin, a former DC editor, filed an HR complaint about Berganza in 2010 when she heard he was in the running for executive editor.
Gehrlein Marsham, who started working at DC in 2006, claims Berganza tried to grope her and forcibly kissed her within three weeks of starting her new role. She said, "A lot of people at DC will be mad at me and consider this a betrayal."
Joan Hilty, who had been at DC for about 5 years when she claims Berganza repeatedly tried kissing her in the early 2000s, said, "the power imbalance made it worse."

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said that at an annual comics convention in 2012, Berganza stuck his tongue down her throat and that people had to pull him off of her so she could get away. Berganza was demoted after this trip and restricted from traveling to conventions.
Berganza's alleged misconduct had been known for years and was a "gross open secret," one former DC employee told Buzzfeed News.

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DC Comics editor suspended amid sexual harassment allegations

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