Send me to jail, watch me fire my employees:
Lawyers for Martha Stewart plan to say a prison sentence for the domestic trendsetter could harm her company and lead to layoffs of some of its 500 employees, according to a published report Monday. ...
Stewart's lawyers will cite a 1995 decision that avoided jail time for a corporate executive because he was considered a crucial figure in his company, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.But what about the efforts that the board of MSO reportedly have been making to rebrand MSO so as to be less dependent on Martha's name? Martha's putting the board in an awkward position: Do they try to help Martha stay out of jail or proceed with the rebranding? I don't see how they can do both simultaneously. After all, if they say - "we can't survive without Martha" - they undercut the rebranding process. On the other hand, if Martha goes to jail and the rebranding process fails - as many do - then the firm is really in trouble. Tough call.
