Lawyer Emmanuel Pierrat Charged with Moral Harassment of Employees

Emmanuel Pierrat, a Paris-based lawyer, has been formally charged with moral harassment affecting five former collaborators between October 2015 and May 2021. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that Pierrat allegedly engaged in repeated behaviors and derogatory remarks exceeding normal managerial authority, including yelling, belittling work, and humiliating language, which degraded working conditions and impacted the victims' dignity and mental health. His former associate Sophie Viaris de Lesegno faces charges of complicity, accused of witnessing the harassment and failing to intervene despite legal obligations.

Investigations involved interviews with 38 members of Pierrat's law firm from 2007 to 2023, many of whom described a toxic management style marked by constant tension and humiliation. Five former employees have joined as civil claimants, supported by expert testimony noting health deterioration and work incapacities of eight to ten days caused by the harassment.

Pierrat has denied the allegations, warning of potential defamation proceedings and contesting some claims based on statutes of limitation. He has a history of controversial legal defenses and was previously suspended for aggressive and humiliating conduct recognized as systemic by an appeals board. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 4, 2026. The former president of the Paris bar association called the initial disciplinary sanction against Pierrat overly lenient.