Who’s telling the truth? In search of facts about the current state of affairs at the American Apparel factory, we approached two factory workers outside. Both said most workers want Charney back. But one added that she didn’t want a union. “I think how it is now is fine,” she said in Spanish. “There isn't a problem.” Padilha got me in touch with Sara*, a factory worker who has been at American Apparel for six years. “Now that people like Paula have arrived, she has destroyed all of our goals and opportunities,” Sara says. Sara has never heard any rumors about sexual harassment by Charney, or about any financial troubles, either, until this year. She only saw the side of Charney who would often visit the factory floor and speak with workers, assuring them that they were all in this together, even as the company lost money year after year. He would celebrate holidays with them. He treated them as equals. “All I know is that he’s been a great boss,” she told me in Spanish through a translator, “[He was] a benevolent man who cared for everyone involved.” Sara is also unhappy with Schneider: “I believe that she’s also lying to us, when she says our jobs are not going abroad.” When I ask her if there is anything Charney could do to lose her trust, she says, "No, he’s a great entrepreneur. We trust him 100%. He will have something for us." I heard breathless worship from Charney's supporters, who begged me in emails to listen to their side, even though they legally can’t go on the record — American Apparel successfully sued Charney earlier this year for trespassing and threatening employees who don’t support him. His restraining order says he cannot make any disparaging remarks on the company, and it's also true for some within his inner circle. “I'm in the middle of litigation with Standard General and American Apparel. I have been caught up in a corporate war and I have been targeted,” one supporter said. When word got out that I might not be writing an exonerating story about how Charney was cheated out of his company, emails flooded into my inbox accusing me of being a bad reporter, and claiming that pretty much every media outlet had gotten the story wrong, including The New York Times. I diligently followed up on claims against Schneider and the board, one by one. Eventually, though, I had to let it go. No sooner would I cross one baseless accusation off the list than another supporter would bring up another unverifiable one. This fixation on tiny details distracts from the larger picture, which is this: Any other CEO would have been fired a decade ago for any one of the bad decisions and unprofessional actions Charney made.