Name: Dov Charney's New Company Ordered To Close After Coronavirus Outbreak Infects More Than 300 Workers
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Dov Charney's New Company Ordered To Close After Coronavirus Outbreak Infects More Than 300 Workers

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In March, when Los Angeles Apparel first began manufacturing and selling face masks made of French terry cotton, CEO Dov Charney — who previously founded American Apparel — was praised for his and .Despite having been fired from American Apparel after numerous allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual abuse, The New York Times included Charney in an about American fashion industry leaders stepping up to fill the in the gaps of America's medical supply shortage.Los Angeles Magazine categorized him as , noting his quick response to the COVID-19 crisis, which included ramping up production at his South L.A. factories and doubling the size of his staff.By mid-May, the company had reportedly sold half-a-million masks.The entreprenuer told Los Angeleno Magazine that his company had enacted "Ideally, I don't want one COVID case in here," in the interview, taking his temparture with a laugh.Two months later, more than 300 employees of Los Angeles Apparel have contracted COVID-19 and four garment workers have died from the disease.The Dept. of Public Health issued a press release on Friday that said Los Angeles Apparel "flagrantly" violated mandatory health guidelines. The department had ordered the company to shut down on June 27, after it failed to cooperate with an investigation of a reported coronavirus outbreak. Now the department is mandating "continuous closure" of the factory.AN OUTBREAK AND AN ATTEMPT TO HIDE ITA week later, the company sent an incomplete employee list to DPH, reporting 198 positive results. When health officals examined the data, however, it became clear that there were actually more than 300 positive cases of infection. Officials told the company that employees could only return to work if they were fever-free for at least three days and had no additional symptoms.According to the press release, Los Angeles Apparel then violated that health order by reopening with new employees. They even tried to stop DHP inspectors from entering the factory.Now, Los Angeles Apparel is under orders to remain closed until they show compliance with public health mandates.The DHP website has a with major coronavirus outbreaks at the bottom of its coronavirus statistics page. Los Angeles Apparel has three locations on that list, all on East 59th Street. Two of those locations have more than 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19; the other location has 23.NOT THE FIRST TIME DOV CHARNEY IS IN HOT WATERDov Charney has long been at the center of multiple controversies, ever since the height of American Apparel's popularity in the early 2000s. Over the years, he has settled and five major lawsuits brought against him forCharney was eventually outsed from his own company after the board of directors terminated him in 2014, , the company discovered "voluminous evidence of Mr. Charney's sexual liaisons with employees and models," adding that at least one of those encounters took place at his office.Shortly thereafter, leaders of the company of using ethnic slurs against workers and keeping videosCharney has said the allegations against him are false and that the reasons the company gave for ousting him were based on false information.When Charney launched Los Angeles Apparel in 2016, several publications pointed out that he was essentially just starting with a new name. His new factory was only four miles away from his old one.Like American Apparel, Los Angeles Apparel claims to care deeply about the wellbeing of its workers. UCLA invited Charney to lecture students in 2017, where his passion for fair wages. A big selling point of the company's business model, brand identity and marketing strategy is its support for a fair living wage."We strive to pay our workers a living wage and we support the fight for $15 an hour," the section of the website reads. "DHP has a hotline for reporting unsafe working conditions. The number is© 2003-2020 . All rights reserved.&amp; .

In March, when Los Angeles Apparel first began manufacturing and selling face masks made of French terry cotton, CEO Dov Charney — who previously founded American Apparel — was praised for his and .Despite having been fired from American Apparel after numerous allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual abuse, The New York Times included Charney in an about American fashion industry leaders stepping up to fill the in the gaps of America's medical supply shortage.Los Angeles Magazine categorized him as , noting his quick response to the COVID-19 crisis, which included ramping up...

Dov Charney's New Company Ordered To Close After Coronavirus Outbreak Infects More Than 300 Workers

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