Ex-Dentons Australian CEO Stipanicev addresses Covid vaccination article
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More news: Former Dentons Australian chair and Australasian CEO Doug Stipanicev has issued a statement following claims by former colleague Guy Albeck linking him to anti-vaccination commentary and anti-Semitic content as part of a Fair Work case.
Stipanicev said his act of sharing an article did not mean he endorsed comments made in the article and that he regrets not reading the material in its entirety prior to sharing it with Albeck.
What they said: "Claims by a former colleague attempting to link me with comments made by an author I have never met, nor endorsed, are absurd," Stipanicev said.
"In July 2022, the former colleague asked me at a work event to share with him an article that made commentary on the issue of COVID vaccinations which were the subject of significant public and medical discussion at the time.
"The act of sharing the article does not mean I endorsed the comments made in the article, but it does mean I do believe in reading widely to be properly informed on all subjects.
"I had not read all 55 pages of the article I shared, and regret that I hadn't because I later discovered the article contained offensive comments by the author.
"Those comments were outrageous and I abhor them.
"In accordance with good governance, I voluntarily made the decision to step aside from my management roles at Dentons while this issue was investigated."
Dentons appoints Amber Warren as Australian chair and CEO as Doug Stipanicev faces court action
The news: The world's largest law firm Dentons has appointed banking and finance partner Amber Warren to the role of Australian chair and Australasian CEO. This comes as the firm faces court action over alleged breaches of the Fair Work Act, with the former heard of the firm's regional branch, Douglas Stipanicev, also named in the complaint.
The context: The case, brought by former partner Guy Albeck and filed in the Federal Court in July, targets Stipanicev and Dentons.
In addition to allegations that the firm breached the Fair Work Act, Albeck has complained that in July 2022 Stipanicev emailed an anti-vaccine report to him containing objectionable material, following a discussion between the two of them at a social function.
Stipanicev has stood aside from his roles until an independent investigation is concluded.
According to reports by The Australian newspaper, Albeck's statement of claim describes the material sent to him as “conspiratorial and anti-Semitic”.
What they said: In a media statement, Dentons said: "The report was not sent on behalf of Dentons. The contents of, and views expressed in that report, do not reflect Dentons’ views or values. Dentons takes its workplace obligations extremely seriously and has policies and procedures in place to make the workplace a safe working environment for all employees.
"Dentons followed all Federal and State government issued mandates and health guidance during the pandemic.
"An independent investigator commenced investigations into the claims as soon as Mr Albeck’s complaints were received. It is not appropriate to comment further while the matter is before the court and the investigation is ongoing."
The sources: Dentons, The Australian, Doug Stipanicev
