Among the allegations outlined by the lawyers was that women who worked directly for Al Fayed, a known germaphobe, underwent invasive medical exams to test them for sexually transmitted diseases with the results only sent to Al Fayed, not the employees themselves.

A news conference in London heard how Mohamed Al Fayed, the former boss of the Harrods department store who died last year at age 94, allegedly raped and sexually abused dozens of women.