Christian Louboutin accuses former employee of infringement in lawsuit

Footwear specialist Christian Louboutin has filed a lawsuit against a former employee, coming forward with accusations of stealing and infringement, as well as violating an employee agreement.

A new suit with the US court for the Southern District of New York names the defendant as Mehdi Mohamed Nasrallah, a former assistant boutique manager at the Christian Louboutin Madison Avenue store, a position he took up after serving for a period at the brand’s French retail network.

According to Christian Louboutin, Nasrallah stole thousands of dollars worth of sample products during his time in France and later shipped them to the US to sell via social media.

The company further claimed that Nasrallah continued to sell such products after his transfer to its New York store, where he was later fired in relation to the allegations.

The fashion house alleged that Nasrallah had infringed on its trademarks, created unfair competition and violated an agreement under his employment contract.

In the suit, Christian Louboutin claimed: “The infringing products are likely to deceive, confuse and mislead purchasers and potential purchasers into believing that such unlicensed goods were authorised for sale and backed by plaintiffs, which they are not.”

As a result, the brand is requesting monetary damages and a permanent injunction that would halt Nasrallah from continuing to profit off the goods.