Carl Icahn has spent decades shaking up self-dealing, cronyism and nepotism at public companies all over America but, according to a new lawsuit, there were some problems at his own office too.
Sandra Silva, of Cliffside Park, N.J., and Valerie Romano of Ridgewood, Queens, former Icahn employees in their mid-thirties, have sued, alleging that Icahn's wife, 59-year old Gail Golden and her friend systematically excluded them from activities -- and then fired them for no reason.
The New York Post reports that "Silva and Romano were criticized for everything from the way they sat, to having drinks with an unpopular coworker and trying to be friendly with the man who sold office supplies."
The lawsuit is interesting because it portrays Icahn's office as a hotbed of office politics, drama, and energy devoted to projects other than shareholder value -- exactly the kinds of things that Icahn has spent his career railing against. And looking at how far shares of Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP) have fallen over the past couple years, the company certainly doesn't need any more distractions.
In a statement, Icahn Enterprises said that "We think the allegations in this complaint have absolutely no merit whatsoever and intend to vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
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