Calvin Klein Takes a PR Hit in Court

An article about the trial, as well as several related tidbits, will appear in "Talk" magazine next week. What is known at this point is that the case between Calvin Klein and Linda Wachner’s firm, Warnaco, resulted in massive expenses for Klein. He retained David Boies, of Florida election fame, as his attorney and Wachner has confirmed that she has not, nor will she have to, pay one cent to Klein as a result of the action.

The most damaging aspect of the trial, however, may be that Klein has compromised his firm’s image in his vain attempt to exact reparations for a disagreement over licensing with Warnaco. Klein apparently was miffed that Warnaco was engaging in discount sales, something his firm apparently never does, despite claims to the contrary by the writer of the forthcoming "Talk" article.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the article’s suggestion that Klein has had some involvement with Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano, the 79-year-old patriarch of the Genovese crime family. Though it appears Klein’s dealings with Mangano have been purely legitimate (there is absolutely no evidence to the contrary), the mere appearance of impropriety has increased the PR hit that Klein and his firm have taken.