British retail tycoon Philip Green is facing misdemeanor charges after a Tucson pilates instructor accused him of touching her inappropriately and making inappropriate comments, court records show.Β
Green, chairman of the retail company Arcadia Group, faces four counts of assault, according to a criminal complaint filed in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court.
He allegedly slapped the instructor on her butt repeatedly and made sexually suggestive comments to her during one of her pilates classes in 2016, according to a Pima County Sheriff's Department incident report.
Again in 2018, Green, who owns a home in Tucson and visits from the United Kingdom, allegedly walked into the instructor's pilates class and repeatedly touched her inappropriately, according to the report.Β
The woman reported the incidents to her bosses at the resort and spa where she taught, according to the report.
In March 2019, officers confirmed the employer investigated the accusations against Green and determined there was inappropriate behavior. Green and his spa privileges were temporarily suspended, court documents state, and once reinstated, Green was not allowed near the woman.Β
According to the documents, Green's attorney, Elizabeth Little, told officers in April that Green declined to provide a statement to law enforcement.Β
In a statement given to CNN on behalf of Green, he said he "strenuously denies these allegations and is disappointed that the charges have been filed in his absence."
