The longtime fashion executive refused to hire talented designers full-time, as he is a cancer survivor. And when her stubborn longtime friend and “right hand” told her that her reasoning was “a bit discriminatory,” the new lawsuit alleges.
Designer John Wrangel spent a year supporting fashion executive Lisa Cruson, a fashion executive with a long history as creative director of major fashion brand theory, in preparation for her new independent fashion line while he was in the middle of his job.
However, when she finally got the funding, Cruson told him “I can't hire him because he has cancer and investors don't agree to hire someone with cancer,” the lawsuit alleges, and then fired him a few days before the scheduled surgery.
“She wants slaves,” Langel, 44, said in an exclusive interview with the post. “She works 24/7 and wants someone who is still rarely paid. That was really shocking to me.”
“Mr. His lawyer, Harrison & Associates, Julie Salwen of Harrison, said: “She didn't live up to his trust.”
Kulson did not respond to multiple messages requesting comment Friday.
Rangel, a Parsons alumnus from the Philippines, was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma in 2020 with a work history including design director gigs for major industry names such as Lane Bryant and Full Beauty Brands.
He has been a friend and collaborator with Kulson since 2019, and asked if he could bring him talent and experience two years ago to launch her fledgling brand and pitch to investors.
In 2023, he began working for Kulson without paying, helping her in every aspect of designing fashion lines and building pitch decks.
“I trusted her very much because she was a great designer and she was also a great person,” Rangel said.
After working 60 hours for a year, he told Kulson last summer he needed a more stable and paying job.
Cruson regained her promise and texted him that, according to Suit and Wrangel, his role was “right hand/assistant designer/PD[product designer].[productdesigner”accordingtothesuitandRangel[製品デザイナー」であると彼にテキストメッセージを送りました。[productdesigner”accordingtothesuitandRangel
However, once the investor's money came in, the promise suddenly faded, and Cruson shocked him with a lowball offer of $4,000 a month.
“She casually told me that,” Wrangel said of the shocking conversation.
Kulson e-musically mentioned his cancer, saying that his full-time offer was off the table due to his “health issues,” Rangel recalls.
“I said: 'Do you mean my history of cancer?' And she said yes,” he told the Post.
When he pointed out it was “a bit discriminatory,” Wrangel said, “She just laughed at it.”
“I was so small and humiliated,” he said. “I did that much for her, so it wasn't easy.”
However, Rangel said he accepted the offer to work as a contractor. His lawsuit is a classification that claims to be illegal because he worked full time, as he continued to promise more money later.
Additionally, his job description states that daily “cleaning and maintenance including toilets” must be performed, and given the 60 and 70 hours of work, his wages (not including overtime) are under $16 per hour, below $16 per hour, and in addition to the other protections and benefits associated with a full-time job, the lawsuit argues.
“As a result of her discrimination, Wrangel was unable to even lose his job after Crusson fired him two days before his scheduled surgery. ” Salwen said.
“His role wasn't the role that would have been if he hadn't had cancer.”
That November, Langel reminded Cruson of upcoming surgeries after an office Thanksgiving week holiday. However, he was told to stay home and rest a week before the proceedings by one of Kulson employees.
At first I thought lingerie was a “really considerate” gesture. Until Cruson told him he had fired him two days before the surgery, saying, “It's not working.”
“I've been tirelessly working in the office almost every week,” Wrangel recalls saying, and he wants to know why.
Kulson is relaxed, he said.
“The fact that he was about to undergo surgery seemed to affect the timing of their decision,” Salwen said. “I don't know what's in their minds, but it's clear that it had an impact on it.”
“I felt so small that I can't even tell me what's wrong because I'm insignificant. “As a friend, at least I'd expect that. And they thought she was a really, really good person.”
The lawsuit also calls for wages and unpaid overtime in addition to damages.
