‘Davidar fell for Rundle at Penguin-Pearson meeting’

NEW DELHI/TORONTO - India-born David Davidar, former chief of Penguin-Canada who was forced to quit following charges of sexual harassment, would flood colleague Lisa Rundle with “inappropriate e-mail and text messages” and also harass her by refusing to deal with her and attempt to isolate her from her co-workers, a statement from her lawyer says.

The statement, published in the media said: “Commencing in early 2007, Davidar began his sexual harassment of Lisa…. He later told (her) he had looked down at her during a meeting between Penguin and Pearson and that the magic had just ‘happened’ from that moment forward.”

The statement added: “…throughout the period of harassment, Davidar was sending Lisa inappropriate e-mails and text messages. Commencing in late 2009, she began to retain some of the messages. (They) included Davidar e-mailing Lisa on or about October 21, 2009, that he could ‘do very little except think of’ her which was ‘seriously annoying’; sending her a Hindi/ Urdu love song in or about October 23, 2009, in which he asked her not to embarrass him by asking around for a translation, when the song indicated ‘My heart, this love of mine, become yours now’.”

“Davidar would send text messages to Lisa repeatedly. For example, on May 19, 2009, Davidar indicated that ‘it took all (his) self-control to stop (him)self from getting up and kissing (her) scars’ (Rundle had fallen), adding that he thought she was ‘utterly gorgeous’ and he ‘drank (her) in hungrily’.

“On some occasions, Davidar would punish her by refusing to speak with her and would exclude her from regular business conversations. Davidar would also, at various times, engage in pouting, refusing to deal with her, and would attempt to isolate her from her co-workers,” the statement said.

“Davidar’s harassment intensified to a degree where on several occasions throughout 2008, he would call Lisa’s cellular telephone and advise her that he was outside her home late in the night, and would beg her to let him in. She would not agree, with the result that the situation at work the following day would be even more toxic,” the statement said.