Galliano Fall-Out: A New Accuser Steps Forward, Video of Rant Surfaces

In the recent days, the fashion industry has been completely consumed by the drama surrounding allegations leveled at designer John Galliano, the fall-out from which has even resulted in his being suspended from Dior. To make matter worse, the Dior fashion show is scheduled for Friday in Paris.

The industry luminary John Galliano was involved in a late-night altercation with a couple outside a bar in Paris, during which he has been accused of uttering anti-semitic remarks. Though no official charges have been filed, Dior swiftly suspended its star on a "policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-semitic or racist words or behaviour," the Guardian reported.

The suspension was only the beginning, as the situation mounted over the weekend amidst wildly divergent accounts of what actually happened. While Galliano is now suing his initial accusers of defamation, WWD reports a second accuser has come forward—Galliano is being ordered by police to meet with all of them—claiming she was the subject of Galliano's verbal abuse a few weeks ago. Police have ordered a meeting to take place between the three parties this week, according to WWD.

The scandal (and confusion) has reached a fever pitch as people chime in on what actually happened. Certain eyewitnesses—including his chauffer, WWD reports—have painted a different picture, claiming the couple mistook Galliano for a bum and insulted him, and deny that he retaliated with the alleged antisemitic slurs. The British tabloid, The Sun, on the other hand, published a cell phone video of a drunken man they claim is Galliano, making offensive statements such as: "People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be ... gassed."

Over the weekend, Galliano's lawyer Stephane Zerbib filed a suit on his client's behalf claiming defamation and menace. Zerbib discussed the suspension from Dior with WWD, telling the paper: "He is not guilty and is not embroiled in a court case or anything. He feels it is a decision that has been made without verification of the facts and based on one side of the story and he is very shocked about that."

Meanwhile, Natalie Portman -- a recently-named face for the Dior brand -- walked the Oscars red carpet in Rodarte, fueling rumors that the actress was seeking to distance herself from the designer. While it's just as likely that the actress was, in fact, seeking only to support the designers who'd created her swan costumes for Black Swan, it only added fuel to the gossip fire, as the Dior show looms in Paris.

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