It looks like the legal team at Abercrombie & Fitch is working overtime again. According to TMZ, a former employee of the clothing store has filed a lawsuit claiming that the national chain sent him to a modeling agency that required him to masturbate in front of the camera.
While working in the store, Benjamin Bowers was referred to modeling agent Brian Hilburn by the Abercrombie & Fitch casting director. Bowers alleges that, after being flown to Jackson, Mississippi, for a photo shoot, he was coaxed into masturbating in the nude in order to achieve a more "relaxed" look for his modeling portfolio.
The events allegedly took place June 17, 2011, but Bowers is now suing Abercrombie & Fitch for $1 million. The suit claims that Hilburn also exposed himself during the photo shoot. According to TMZ, Bowers "feels used and believes the photos were never intended to help his career."
On the heels of a scandal in their Milan outpost (the one where employees were forced to do push-ups and squats), this is yet another PR nightmare for Abercrombie & Fitch. The retailer has been accused in the past of everything from forcing employees to buy and wear its products to racial, religious and physical disability discrimination. Even The Situation had some legal beef with the retailer.
Hilburn has yet to give a comment, but click over to TMZ for more information about the current lawsuit.