Lombard's controversial remarks in 2006 about making employee departures happen 'through the window or the door' further illustrate the toxic environment fostered under his leadership.

Their convictions were based on their significant roles in implementing aggressive workforce reduction policies during 2007-2008, which resulted in severe distress among employees.

The crisis gained public attention after the suicide of technician Michel Deparis in July 2009, who explicitly blamed France Télécom in his suicide note, marking a turning point in the public's awareness of the issue.

Investigations revealed 39 victims of harassment, including 19 who took their own lives, underscoring the widespread impact of the harsh management practices.

Antoine Lyon-Caen, a lawyer for the SUD-PTT union, emphasized the importance of the ruling, which formally recognizes institutional harassment as a legal form of workplace harassment.

The court clarified that actions intentionally degrading working conditions to reduce staff can constitute institutional moral harassment, countering the executives' claims that their actions were merely corporate policy.

The case has become emblematic of severe workplace suffering in France, highlighting the dire consequences of toxic corporate cultures.

Didier Lombard, the former CEO of France Télécom, and his deputy Louis-Pierre Wenès were sentenced in 2022 to one year in prison with a suspended sentence and a €15,000 fine for their roles in institutional harassment that contributed to a tragic wave of employee suicides.

On January 21, 2025, the Cour de cassation upheld their convictions, rejecting the appeals of both Lombard and Wenès related to the suicides at France Télécom.

This ruling establishes a significant legal precedent for institutional harassment, with the union expressing satisfaction over the verdict, especially for the families affected by the reckless actions of the executives.

The legal troubles stemmed from aggressive restructuring plans initiated in 2006, following the company's privatization, which aimed to cut 22,000 jobs and reassign 10,000 employees, severely impacting working conditions.

France Télécom, now known as Orange, was fined a historic maximum of €75,000, becoming the first CAC 40 company convicted for institutional moral harassment.