Over 40 men now accuse ex-Abercrombie boss of sexual assault
What's the story
Former Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) CEO Mike Jeffries, who was charged with sex trafficking in October, has now been accused of other sex-related crimes by over 40 men.
Lawyers told the BBC that the charges span from rape to sexual assault and drugging.
The latest lawsuits accuse him of assaulting men under the guise of modeling opportunities for his fashion label, A&F.
Historical claims
Allegations date back to Jeffries's tenure at A&F
Some of the allegations against Jeffries date back to the 1990s, when he first joined A&F. The alleged victims include the company's employees and former models.
Apart from Jeffries, A&F is facing a negligence lawsuit for allegedly enabling his "heinous sexual crimes" along with his partner Matthew Smith.
Jeffries has always denied all allegations against him.
Company stance
A&F's response to the allegations
A&F, which also owns Hollister, hasn't commented publicly on the allegations. However, it had earlier said it was "appalled and disgusted" by the alleged behavior of Jeffries.
But the latest allegations have raised doubts over the company's actions during the time Jeffries served as CEO and chairman from 1992-2014.
The reason being: several men claim they were already A&F employees when they were sexually assaulted.
Legal proceedings
Jeffries under house arrest for sex trafficking charges
Now 80, Jeffries is on house arrest after pleading not guilty to charges of operating an international sex trafficking and prostitution business.
If convicted on these charges, they could be sentenced to life.
In December, his legal team said he has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
At the time, a doctor concluded that testing "yielded diagnostic impressions that Mr. Jeffries currently suffers from dementia with behavioral disturbance ... Alzheimer's disease with late onset (probable)... and Lewy body dementia."
Additional lawsuits
New York lawsuits allege rape under false modeling promises
A competency hearing of Jeffries is scheduled for June.
Apart from the group civil action, two individual suits have been filed in New York. These men accuse Jeffries of raping them after falsely promising modeling opportunities.
The first suit mentions several assaults on Brandon Steele and Joseph Sterling after being pressured into taking illegal narcotics at "Abercrombie-themed" events.
The second involves two former models who allege they were assaulted during a casting call by Jeffries himself.