Edited by Douglas Harbrecht Astra USA sued former CEO Lars Bildman on Wednesday, Feb. 4, seeking $15 million from the former top exec on charges of defrauding the company. The sum includes $2.3 million in company funds he allegedly used to fix up three of his homes, plus money the company may have to pay as the result of an investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is looking into sexual harassment at Astra USA.
For Bildman, it's yet another legal challenge. Last week, he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for failing to report more than $1 million in income on his tax returns. A plea-bargain agreement, if approved by a judge, would land him in jail for 21 months. Bildman also has outstanding lawsuits involving sexual harassment claims by female former co-workers.
Bildman was fired from Astra in June, 1996, after a company investigation determined that he misappropriated company funds and hid his actions from superiors. This followed a May cover story in Business Week describing allegations of sexual harassment made by female Astra employees (See BW, 5/13/96, "Abuse of Power").
Astra's lawsuit alleges a bizarre pattern of behavior by Bildman. The suit claims he sexually harassed and intimidated employees, destroyed documents and records, and concocted "tales of conspiracy involving ex-KGB agents and competitors...in a last-ditch effort to distract attention from the real wrongdoer, Bildman himself." The suit also says he used company funds to rent yachts and pay for prostitutes.
Bildman's attorney could not be reached for comment.
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