Galliano To Appeal Court Ruling

John Galliano has decided to appeal against the ruling of a Paris labour court that rejected his claims of wrongful dismissal. The designer - who was granted the right to have his case heard in court in November 2013, but was then ordered to pay both Christian Dior and John Galliano a symbolic €1 each when it threw out his claims for damages - will now seek to have that ruling overturned.

"Given the deadlines for the Paris Court of Appeals, the case should be heard in 2017," Chantal Giraud-van Gaver of Coblence & Associés, acting for Galliano, told WWD.

John Galliano

Both Christian Dior and John Galliano dismissed Galliano in 2011, after he was accused of making anti-semitic remarks. The accusations resulted in the designer's criminal conviction, although he asserted that his employers were aware of his substance-abuse issues and had failed in their duty of care towards him, thereby creating a case for wrongful dismissal because his firing was based on a pre-existing medical condition. Lawyers for Dior and Galliano deny that the companies' executives were aware of his addictions.

Galliano was seeking damages of up to €13 million, but was instead ordered to compensate his employers as well as cover their legal costs. The designer has not yet commented on the case or his decision to appeal.