Client: Mid-size private company 

Complaint: Sexual harassment allegation against a C-Suite executive by a direct report 

Referral: Introduced by outside employment counsel 

Outcome: Allegations substantiated with a defensible, evidence-based finding; client took swift action and avoided litigation exposure 

A company with a flat, close-knit leadership structure received a formal complaint from a high-level, high-performing employee alleging serious misconduct by a C-Suite executive. Their two accounts of what took place diverged sharply: the executive painted the complainant as the initiator; the complainant described a distressing, non-consensual encounter and had shared contemporaneous accounts with two people close to her the same night. With no other employees present, this came down to conflicting testimony, and the company needed a process that could withstand scrutiny regardless of the finding.

Clarus was retained as independent, third-party counsel to investigate. Over the course of several weeks, we interviewed six relevant witnesses. Additionally, we reviewed text messages, call logs, and receipts to build a verified timeline, and cross-checked each of the witness's accounts against that timeline and against the others' statements.

Rather than taking either account at face value, we applied a structured credibility framework — assessing consistency across multiple interviews, corroboration by contemporaneous evidence, and plausibility of each party's explanations for their own conduct. Notably, digital evidence surfaced a material inconsistency in the executive's stated timeline.  

The investigation substantiated the complaint based on a preponderance of the evidence, supported by consistent witness testimony and corroborating digital evidence. The findings gave the company a clear, well-documented basis to take swift and appropriate action regarding the executive — without the exposure that comes from an under-investigated or one-sided process. Because the investigation was thorough, neutral, and well-documented from the outset, the company was able to resolve the matter internally and avoid escalation into litigation.