This Saturday (16/9), new testimonies from victims of harassment have increased the legal pressure against Marcius Melhem, former director of Rede Globo. The accusations, already serious, have taken on more serious tones with detailed complaints of sexual and moral harassment. The victims are Karina Dohme, Ellen Roche and Susana Pires, actresses known to the public, who recounted their traumatic experiences in September 2021 to the MPT (Public Prosecutor’s Office for Labor) in a trial investigating Globo’s conduct in relation to the complaints against Melhem .
The statements were revealed by Juliana Dal Piva’s editorial, after being sent by the MPT to the MP-RJ, and are part of the criminal proceedings against the comedian. As prescribed by the cases, the statements serve to strengthen the accusation and the most serious, that of Karina, led to the actress being called by the prosecution as a witness. Melhem is being investigated for sexual harassment in a trial taking place in secret at the 20th Criminal Court of the TJ-RJ.
The case of Karine Dohme
Karina Dohme, who has worked with Melhem since 2012 in the programs “Caras de Pau” and “Zorra”, described that Melhem made “sexual comments to all the women” all the time, “squeezed the waist and smelled the necks of colleagues” and called employees “hot” and “delightful,” making “lewd moans,” creating an uncomfortable and toxic work environment.
In April 2012, during a recording in Angra dos Reis (RJ), Karina found herself facing an even more disturbing situation. According to her, Melhem “held the bedroom door” and stated that “they would sleep together.” Perplexed by the situation, she replied with a wry smile, “Of course not.” Even so, Melhem persisted and stood in the doorway of her room for some time, reinforcing the feeling of vulnerability and fear.
Melhem ultimately gave up on entering the room, but left an ominous warning: “Okay girl, but I’m not giving up on you.” This statement not only terrified Karina, but also made it clear that her harassment would not be an isolated event. The actress “panicked” after the episode, as she had not yet signed her contract with the network. She feared professional retaliation and, according to her, Melhem intensified his advances on her after signing the contract.
During the recording, Karina reports that, in the kissing scenes, Melhem kept “sticking his tongue in” while she “pressed her lips tight.” This type of behavior crosses professional boundaries. Additionally, Melhem pressed her hips against him, making her feel that “her penis was erect.”
After the recordings, Melhem commented that Karina was his “favorite” and that he had brought her to the program. But the worst was yet to come. In an incident that occurred on October 31, 2015, Melhem pushed her against the wall and tried to forcibly kiss her. “He started pulling up her dress and unzipping her pants,” Karina said. The actress managed to free herself and leave the place.
A few days after the accident, Karina was fired from the “Zorra” program. Melhem sent her a message stating that her firing was unrelated to what happened. “You need to know one thing, decisions are being made and your staying on the show has nothing to do with what happened tonight,” Melhem wrote.
The case of Ellen Roche
Ellen Roche, who worked with Melhem on “Zorra Total” and “Escolinha do Professor Raimundo,” reported that the comedian called her “beautiful, wonderful and sometimes hot.” In a 2015 episode, Melhem offered Ellen a ride, which she refused and asked Maria Clara Gueiros to accompany her. Melhem asked where Ellen’s hotel was and if he could meet her there. The actress responded by asking why.
Maria Clara Gueiros and director Cininha de Paula provided testimonies confirming Ellen’s report. According to Maria Clara, Ellen was “embarrassed and frightened” by Melhem’s advances. Cininha de Paula stated that she saw Ellen crying and that another co-star said that Melhem had held Ellen against the wall and said that he would only let her go if she kissed him. Cininha said he asked Ellen to report him, but she the actress didn’t want to do it for fear of being fired.
The case of Susana Pires
Susana Pires, who worked with Melhem in the program “Caras de Pau”, reported that she was the only woman in the writing team. According to her, Melhem made “jokes” about her being “hot.” As time passed, she began to place “her hands on the deponent’s legs and began to increase the burden of harassment.”
After reacting to Melhem’s advances, Susana stated that her work had become “absurdly undervalued”. She also reported that Melhem came out of the bathroom in his underwear saying, “Suzana, let’s settle our story.”
In a statement to Rio police in 2021, Melhem was asked if he had received it in his underwear and replied: “It’s not true. This only happened once, because it was a joke and also it didn’t have any sexual connotations.” .
In July this year, Susana filed a petition, through her lawyer, to rectify her position in the sexual harassment case files: from victim to witness. She reported in the document that she testified in the MPT trial, at the request of the other victims, to contribute to “possible contextualization of the case, if necessary”.
Susana Pires referred to the fact that, until 2018, it was necessary for a woman to present herself to the authorities for a harassment case to be processed. This has changed and is no longer necessary.
The positioning of TV Globo
In January this year, TV Globo sent a letter to the Specialized Police Station for Women’s Assistance (Deam/Centro) informing that Melhem had violated Grupo Globo’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, making it unsustainable to maintain his work contract. The text states that “Globo has decided to terminate the employment contract, understanding that, given the discovery of a violation of Grupo Globo’s Code of Ethics and Conduct by Mr. Marcius Melhem, maintaining the employment contract became unsustainable , considering that the position adopted by him does not correspond to the principles and values of the company.”
Veja magazine reported in May this year that TV Globo’s defense told the MPT that, in relation to Melhem, “the artist’s inadequacy towards his subordinates was, in fact, confirmed , without it being possible to prove the deliberate practice of sexual harassment, given the legal contours that the conduct requires for its characterization”.
Prior to this, the broadcaster had only reported that the comedian had been investigated and nothing had been found against him. Melhem repeats this argument in his defense as well, as can be seen below.
11 women reported harassment by Melhem to the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor’s Office, but eight cases were closed due to the statute of limitations, not due to lack of evidence.
The positioning of Marcius Melhem
Lawyers working on Marcius Melhem’s defense released a statement regarding the new charges. See the whole thing below.
“It is important to note from the beginning that Marcius Melhem never had access to the full statements at the Ministry of Public Work, because he is not under investigation there. But it is worth noting that Suzana Pires, after the aforementioned statement to the MPT, fired the lawyer Mayra Cotta and asked the Public Prosecutor of Rio de Janeiro to remove her from the list of alleged victims. Karina Dohme never appeared as an alleged victim in Parliament, where Melhem was able to show numerous communications refuting accounts such as those cited by journalist. Perhaps this is why she also withdrew to appear as a witness in the police investigation. As for Ellen Roche, the press itself has already published parts of her statement to the MP more than once in which she denies the accusations of harassment and states that he would work with Melhem again, as he has nothing against him.
It should also be noted that Melhem is not the subject of an investigation at the MPT and cannot defend himself there either. And in the case where the investigation took place, none of the three came forward as alleged victims. Bringing three already clarified cases of non-victims to the attention of public opinion is yet another attempt to keep alive an accusation that cannot be supported.
Bearing in mind that the article aims to revive news already reported in the press, its readers could also be reminded that the MPT carries a letter from TV Globo stating, after a thorough investigation, that there was no evidence of harassment from Marcius Melhem when he worked there. Finally, it is astonishing that the same vehicle that preserves the names of alleged victims publicly exposes women who do not accuse Melhem of harassment in court.”
Source: Terra
Ashley Fitzgerald is a journalist and author at Gossipify, known for her coverage of famous people and their lives. She writes about a wide range of topics, including celebrities, influencers, social media stars, and public figures. Her articles are known for their in-depth analysis and unique perspective. She is respected for her ability to keep readers up to date with the latest news and trends of the famous people.
