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The story behind the story.
Dear Reader,
Many stories about powerful people (or companies) take circuitous routes to getting out in the world. Because Lioness stories frequently expose someone doing something shady, they often end up in front of a lawyer along the way. Some stay parked there, because:
The person affected can’t afford to pay for lawyers to pursue the matter, or defend themselves in court should someone come after them for speaking out (only certain kinds of lawyers work on contingency) or
The thing that happened–even if it’s criminal–just doesn’t reach the bar for a prosecutor or government agency to take it up. (to wit: white-collar criminals not going to jail)
(a) probably seems like a given. If you’re lucky enough to have not yet been asked to dish out $800 in legal fees per hour for one thing or another in your life, well, that’s just luck.
(b), on the other hand, has surprised us by its frequency.
Many powerful people and entities can find ways to skirt legal issues or exploit holes the government doesn’t have the resources to close. Lawyers, hands tied, pass these stories to Lioness, to bring them to the court of public opinion instead.
That’s how we met Anjanette DeCarlo. Anjanette had information about a powerful, multi-billion dollar US company that was greenwashing, and by doing so, defrauding its customers. Further, the company’s main supplier in Somaliland was withholding pay owed to local harvesters and exploiting women. Despite being told about these issues, the company kept using the supplier.
Anjanette knew all of this, why? Because the company had sent her to Africa to ensure the sustainability of the trees and integrity of the supply chain… and because this man—their supplier—had raped her, too.