KPMG executive Greg Eldridge is seeking $130,000 in damages against the accounting giant

A senior KPMG executive has sued his employer, alleging he was told to adapt to abuse after suffering months of unlawful harassment from a colleague.

A Melbourne-based KPMG executive is suing the company $130,000 in compensation. Picture: Getty Images

A senior KPMG executive now on stress leave has sued the accounting giant, alleging he was subjected to months of unlawful harassment from a colleague and then told he would have to simply adapt to the abuse.

Melbourne-based Greg Eldridge, who has been at the firm for eight years, is seeking more than $130,000 in compensation as part of the fair work claim filed in Federal Circuit Court.

A KPMG spokeswoman said Thursday the firm would fight the lawsuit, which was lodged with the court late last month.

“We strongly refute the allegations and will be defending the claim,’’ she said.

Mr Eldridge alleges in court documents that he started to clash with new colleague Linda Blore soon after he was promoted to the position of principal director of the “debt advisory services team’’ in April.

Greg Eldridge, principal director of debt advisory services at KPMG

Mr Eldridge maintains he was kept “out of the loop’’ in a key communication with clients and subjected to unreasonable interrogation about fees on a deal.

Ms Blore also alleges she had been frozen out by Mr Eldridge, according to the text of multiple emails included in the pleading.

“I’m not putting up with being excluded and undermined internally and externally, and that negatively impacting my ability to deliver into my mandate to the best of my ability,’’ Ms Blore wrote in a July 23 email to Mr Eldridge and copied to their superior, Scott Mesley.

“Not to mention how it makes me feel personally from an inclusion perspective. The ongoing excuses of it just ‘being an accident’ don’t wash. It’s pretty simple.’’

In a meeting with Mr Mesley three days later, Mr Eldridge denied her allegations. He said he had given Ms Blore a “a far greater degree of inclusion than any other partner,’’ sent her hundreds of emails and defended her with clients.

Mr Eldridge then alleged in his pleading that he felt “under attack and his health was suffering’’.

Mr Mesley allegedly responded that “he was not responsible for Ms Blore’s behaviour and that Mr Eldridge would have to change and adjust to Ms Blore’s behaviour.’’

The sparring continued until July 28 when Mr Eldridge went on leave suffering from “depression, anxiety and stress in the extremely severe range,’’ according to two doctors’ reports.

In an email sent to Mr Mesley on the day of his departure, Mr Eldridge said the criticisms from Ms Blore “are unfounded and contain factually incorrect accusations, are unnecessary (sic) aggressive, belittling and disproportionate attacks on my professional integrity’’.

“The aggressive and sustained nature of the emails have left me feeling physically unwell and mentally drained, causing many sleepless nights for several months now’’.

Mr Eldridge, who had more than 17 years of banking experience before joining KPMG in 2013, has not returned to work since then.

Mr Mesley subsequently issued him with only an “effective performance’’ rating in his end-of-year review in early September and no pay increase.

That was despite Mr Eldridge earlier that year getting a promotion, securing several high value deals, exceeding his budget and receiving positive client feedback, the lawsuit claims.

The first hearing in the case has been set down for January 25.

Mr Eldridge could not be contacted and his law firm, Maurice Blackburn, declined to comment.

The claim seeks $100,000 in general damages, more than $30,000 for “past economic loss,’’ an unspecified sum for “future loss of earnings’’ and $2400 for “past and future medical expenses’’.

It alleges a breach of contract because “Mr Mesley took no, or no adequate, steps to address Ms Blore’s conduct’’ and the firm “failed to treat Ms Blore’s breaches of the Code of Conduct very seriously’’.