Seven West Media boss Tim Worner has denied any suggestions he had multiple affairs within the organisation, amid allegations he used company funds to pursue a relationship with one female employee.
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Seven executive's extra-marital affair in legal battle
Legal stoush after Seven West Media boss Tim Worner's messy affair with a 35-year-old executive assistant goes public after negotiations breakdown.
Amber Harrison was a 35-year-old executive assistant to magazine boss Nick Chan and Tim Worner, then 51, was the CEO of the Seven Network when they began an affair at the end of 2012.
According to legal documents in a failed mediation with Seven West earlier this year, Ms Harrison stated that Mr Worner had used "female employees and other women in the industry for his sexual gratification".
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The document details his relationships with other Seven employees including two high-profile stars and three other staff.
According to Ms Harrison, the breakdown of the relationship with one staff member became extremely public with "Mr Worner and Ms [name withheld] having verbal arguments in the office which were witnessed by senior and support staff".
Ms Harrison said that the woman was suddenly promoted to a position on a top-rating show. This was a "significant and unusual career advancement", she said.
However, Mr Worner's lawyers sent a series of letters to Fairfax Media on Tuesday denying any sexual encounters with the women named by Ms Harrison.
She also claimed that the chairman of the Seven group, Kerry Stokes was apprised of the settlement negotiations with Ms Harrison two years ago.
While not detailing when Mr Stokes became aware of the issue, in a statement issued on Monday night Seven West said Mr Stokes "has always made clear to Mr Worner that the alleged conduct, even though a personal matter, was completely unacceptable".
For his part, Mr Worner said he was "obviously filled with the deepest regret and shame" over the relationship.
Seven's statement also rejected Ms Harrison's allegations about affairs with others "including any allegation that other current or former employees have been paid off".
Ms Harrison's claims included that Mr Worner charged the company travel expenses when he came to her home for sex.
She also said that in 2014, Mr Worner asked Ms Harrison to come to the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne and that he was aware she put the cost of the flights, accommodation and room service on her corporate credit card.
On one occasion Mr Worner directed her to claim their hotel room as "accommodation for a VIP client".
She said the pair's use of cocaine during their sexual encounters occurred during work functions, "such as the Bells at Killcare conference in July 2013, which was hosted by Mr Worner to celebrate his promotion to CEO of Seven West".
Seven West has declined to comment on Mr Worner's cocaine use despite repeated requests for a formal comment on the allegation.
Instead the company has said that Ms Harrison's allegations contained "wide-ranging inaccuracies and false statements".
Ms Harrison has also suggested that she was hit with allegations of credit card fraud in order to force her out of the company.
She claimed that the expense issue claim could have been made against any number of senior male staff, including Mr Worner himself.
"However, there has been no similar scrutiny or duress applied by Seven Network to such male employees," she said.
She said the allegation of unauthorised expenditure came after her relationship began to deteriorate. From the end of 2013 Ms Harrison had to work in the same building in Pyrmont as Mr Worner.
"Ms Harrison felt that Mr Worner was treating the relationship extremely casually, particularly given his tendency to ignore her in public, and this elevated her levels of distress," she has alleged in a legal document.
On February 8, 2014 she texted Mr Worner saying: "I'm something that pops into your head to do when you are bored. Stop texting me. I'll stop texting you. This is done."
Mr Worner replied: "I want to f--- you. Badly."
Ms Harrison also detailed the attempts by Seven West to make her go away, including the head of human resources, Melanie Allibon, saying to her, "Do you really want to be that girl and have this all come out in public?… Monica Lewinsky has never recovered from her dalliance with Bill Clinton" and "You let a guy use you for sex for two years. That is what everyone is going to say about you if this gets out".
The mediation between the parties failed earlier this year and Ms Harrison said the legal stoush with Seven has left her destitute.
"They wanted me frustrated by the legal process, unable to get to court, broken and penniless and they wanted to cover up the affair with Tim, and the cover up of Tim. How does one individual fight this massive company with unlimited resources?" she said.
Meanwhile, the Australian Shareholders' Association called on Seven West's board to start planning for Mr Worner's exit from the top job next year, saying the controversy cannot be put to rest while he retains his position.
ASA director Stephen Mayne said the reputational damage to Seven West would not be fully resolved until the company has a new CEO and said the succession plan is "something they should progress in 2017".
Seven West shares rose six per cent to 79.5 cents on Tuesday, recovering most of a price plunge suffered on Monday in the wake of the affair revelations.