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Shock for Macron supporters: Ex-MP Avia convicted of bullying!
Lætitia Avia, former MP, loses appeal against conviction for moral harassment of ex-employees.
Shock for Macron supporters: Ex-MP Avia convicted of bullying!
In a sensational appeal, the Paris court has upheld the conviction of Lætitia Avia, a former MP from the Macronist party La République en marche (LRM). Avia had appealed the first instance verdict, but the court decided on July 4, 2025 that the sentence of six months in prison on probation and two years of ineligibility remained. This is based on allegations of psychological abuse made since 2020 against four of her former parliamentary assistants, such as ledauphine.com reported.
The allegations against Avia, who was one of Emmanuel Macron's prominent supporters at the time of her presidency, include serious allegations such as humiliating and harassing her employees. Reports speak of sexist and homophobic comments as well as misuse of their power. In May 2020, five former employees went public and made the allegations public in an article on Mediapart. This led to an investigation that eventually resulted in a lawsuit.
The process and its outcome
The trial, which spanned several months, heard from seven former assistants who reported 'verbal violence' and 'aggressiveness' on the part of Avia. The court found that there was no systematic abuse, but that the acts were assessed individually. Nevertheless, a ‘devaluation’ and ‘deterioration of working conditions’ was noted, which was seen as psychological abuse lemonde.fr added.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Avia was ordered to pay damages of 2,000 euros to each of the people affected and must reimburse their legal costs. Although the prosecutor had called for a harsher sentence, the court concluded that the crimes were particularly serious during her term as an elected representative.
The reactions to the verdict
After the verdict was announced, Avia's lawyer announced that he would appeal. He expressed confidence in the outcome of the proceedings. On the other hand, the lawyer for one of the plaintiffs emphasized that the seriousness of the allegations was more conducive to a conviction. Avia herself vehemently denied all allegations and spoke of 'false accusations' and 'manipulation' by her former assistants.
Psychological violence in the workplace, as highlighted in this case, is a widespread problem that is becoming increasingly important in other work environments. The wave of reports about bullying and verbal abuse shows that not only physical violence, but also psychological stress often goes unrecognized. A DGUV survey showed that 32% of healthcare and public service employees reported insults and insults. Assaults are not only an individual tragedy, but also have a negative impact on the productivity and well-being of employees, as forum-verlag.com explains in detail.
The Avia case could potentially even represent a turning point for the discussion about violence in the workplace. Employers are legally obliged to ensure a non-discriminatory environment and to take preventive measures to avoid acts of violence, whether physical or psychological. The grievances brought to light by this case could help put this important aspect of occupational health and safety policy on the agenda and that the principles of violence prevention will be pursued even more strictly in the future.