Victims of ex-Harrods owner Al Fayed seek up to $257 million after abuse

The amount sought by victims is more than double of what Harrods has set aside.

Almost 300 women who say they were sexually abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed want as much as £150 million (S$256.91 million) in compensation from the luxury department store, more than double the amount it has set aside.

The £62 million provision Harrods made in 2024 for redress payments will fall well short of what is required, according to KP Law, which represents about 275 people, most of whom are former employees. The figure is likely to be at least £100 million and may be as much as £150 million, KP lawyer Lucy Traynor said.

The estimate is based on analysis of individual cases, taking into account lost earnings and pensions, the cost of treatment and other losses, Traynor said. KP has gone through tax records and consulted employment experts who have analysed salaries for specific roles over time. 

The provision is “an estimate, not a cap, and we will continue with our approach of assessing each individual claim on its merits and offering settlement based on that assessment”, a Harrods spokesperson said in a statement. External legal advisers and auditors helped Harrods with its analysis.

“Harrods is committed to ensuring all eligible survivors receive compensation for the appalling abuse they suffered,” the spokesperson said. More than 260 survivors have engaged with its redress programme, with 113 claims settled to date, they said. Work continues “at a pace dictated by survivors and their legal representatives towards redress through the route of their choice”, they added.

Fayed has been accused of rape, sexual assault and harassment by scores of people over decades. Victims say that for years Harrods did not do enough to address the matter. Harrods has since accepted “vicarious liability” – responsibility for Fayed’s actions while he was chairman. 

The billionaire owned the London store from 1985 to 2010, when his family sold it to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. The Egyptian businessman died in 2023 aged 94.

After years denying women’s accounts about his abuse, Harrods said in a statement in 2024 that it was “utterly appalled by the allegations” and was “determined to do the right thing”.

The retailer created its own compensation plan for Fayed’s victims in March 2025, saying it thought the offer was attractive for victims as they would not have to pay additional legal fees. It closed to new claims in March. Harrods has said the £62 million provision is its estimate for payouts made either via its process or anyone using their own lawyers.

The department store’s latest accounts show that as of January it paid out £4 million to claimants. 

Trevor Gilbert, an employment expert witness who specialises in assessing career and earnings loss, said that £1 million is not an unusually high sum for someone who was on a particular career path but was then unable to pursue it. “They do not have to have been a particularly high earner for losses to reach that level,” he said.

“In my experience, claimants will generally advance their case toward the higher end of the range and defendants toward the lower end,” Gilbert said. “The parties may then seek to reach an agreed figure through negotiation or at a settlement meeting.”

James Counsell, a barrister who specialises in abuse cases, said it can be hard for claimants to win significant sums because English courts have traditionally awarded very low amounts to people who have suffered sexual abuse.

Victims are pressing for swifter resolution of their cases. Harrods and Fayed’s estate are locked in a legal dispute, as the company seeks to install an independent administrator to replace family members. 

Harrods has said it is seeking contributions to help meet the redress costs and has told KP it will not negotiate until the outcome of the legal case. That relates to people claiming against both Harrods and the estate who make up the majority of KP’s cases.

A hearing is scheduled for November. The judge could make a decision at the time or later.

The appointment of “new, independent executors is for the benefit of all survivors – not just those represented by a single law firm – and all those with a potential claim against the estate,” the Harrods spokesperson said.

“Any suggestion to survivors by their legal representatives that Harrods is preventing survivors from accessing compensation is a misrepresentation of the facts, and harmful to survivors’ trust in this process,” they added.

Justin Michaelson, a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP representing Fayed’s estate, said the executors take the allegations seriously but cannot comment further for legal reasons.

The time it is taking is “incredibly distressing” for the claimants, KP’s Traynor said. 

Among those KP represents were fashion buyers, people selected for Harrods’ management training program and personal assistants, with a significant number in their first jobs and their careers ahead of them. For some claimants, the bill runs into the millions of pounds, according to KP. The law firm will take a cut of claimants’ compensation payments. 

“Harrods has spent two years telling the world it stands with survivors,” said Keaton Stone, whose wife Sophia was attacked by Fayed in the late 1980s. “What women have actually seen is delay. Some of these women have already waited thirty or forty years. Some are now in their seventies.” Stone investigated the Harrods owner for years leading to a BBC documentary in 2024. 

A key factor in Harrods’ legal battle with the estate is what due diligence was done as part of the 2010 acquisition.

The Qatar Investment Authority has not commented on the Fayed scandal. The fund conducted due diligence with the assistance of several external advisers including UK law firms, but the process did not identify allegations of serious misconduct related to Harrods, Bloomberg reported earlier in 2026. The QIA did not respond to a request for comment.

The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating whether anyone can be criminally charged over Fayed’s actions. It has interviewed seven individuals under caution. It has also sent a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for advice about whether a man in his 80s could be charged.

Harrods has said it is also investigating whether anyone internally knew about Fayed’s abuse but has not committed to publishing the findings. An employee left the business in 2025 in relation to the investigation, Harrods said.

The £62 million provision caused Harrods to report a £34 million loss for the financial year ending February 2025. In August, the company painted an improved picture, swinging to an £85 million profit for its most recent financial year. BLOOMBERG