Avoid Being Alone With Kubasik: L3Harris Had Complaints on CEO Years Before Exit

Women at L3Harris Technologies had raised concerns about chief executive Chris Kubasik’s behavior years before the defense contractor forced him out this week following a board investigation into his conduct.

Among female employees, warnings circulated to avoid being alone with Kubasik and to exercise caution around him on the company’s corporate jet, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

One employee went further, making a formal complaint to human resources around 2023 in which she accused the chief executive of sexual harassment, the people said.

Kubasik remained in charge. The woman later left L3Harris.

READ MORE: US Defense CEO Fired Again Over Sex Scandal. His First Was on a Private Jet

Earlier Complaint Raised Internally

Not every member of the L3Harris board was briefed about the 2023 complaint, according to people familiar with the matter.

It remains unclear whether the allegation led to a formal investigation.

The handling of that complaint has taken on greater significance after Kubasik’s removal this week, following directors' review of a separate accusation involving his conduct.

The board brought in outside lawyers to investigate allegations that Kubasik behaved inappropriately with a subordinate and displayed aggressive and profane behavior, according to people familiar with its deliberations.

L3Harris said the investigation concluded that Kubasik had breached its code of conduct. He left without severance.

Kubasik did not acknowledge in his separation agreement that he had violated company policy, or that grounds existed for his termination.

“Mr. Kubasik categorically denies that he had a relationship with a subordinate and denies that any such allegation was the basis for the negotiated separation agreement,” a spokesman said in a statement.

Board Defends Its Oversight

The L3Harris board said allegations of wrongdoing were subject to independent scrutiny.

“Any allegations of misconduct are reviewed thoroughly and independently, with outside counsel engaged when appropriate. The board remains unwavering in its commitment to effective oversight and governance that is in the best interest of the company.”

Kubasik, 65, had appeared with his wife at the Sun Valley conference in Idaho last month. He has been married since 1985.

His departure also carries a significant financial cost. Kubasik gave up about $58mn in unvested stock and severance payments valued at roughly $9mn, according to Equilar.

He retained vested stock options worth about $28mn as of Monday and separately owns approximately $59mn of L3Harris shares, the data provider said.

Second Removal Over Employee Conduct

The L3Harris episode marks the second time Kubasik has lost a senior executive position following allegations concerning his conduct with an employee.

In 2012, Lockheed Martin asked him to resign while he was president and preparing to take over as chief executive.

Lockheed said an investigation had identified a “lengthy, close personal relationship” between Kubasik and a subordinate that breached its ethics code. The issue had been raised by an internal whistleblower.

Kubasik said at the time: “I regret that my conduct in this matter did not meet the standards to which I have always held myself.”

He later rebuilt his career through Seabury Advisory Group before joining L3 Technologies as president in 2015.

Kubasik subsequently helped engineer L3’s $15bn merger with Harris Corp. in 2019, creating L3Harris, and oversaw its roughly $4.7bn acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne in 2023.

Departure Creates Strategic Uncertainty

Kubasik’s abrupt exit leaves L3Harris without an executive who had played a central role in its dealings with the Pentagon and other U.S. government agencies, which account for 75 percent of company revenue.

He had developed close ties with the Trump administration and participated in negotiations surrounding several prominent defense initiatives.

Those included a Pentagon-backed effort for L3Harris to modify a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for presidential travel.

The $400mn project includes communications and security upgrades.

Kubasik had also secured an arrangement under which the Trump administration agreed to invest $1bn in L3Harris’s missile business.

His removal came less than three weeks after he told investors about the company’s positioning as a “trusted disruptor” in the defense sector.

The board’s latest investigation has now shifted attention from that strategy to questions about concerns raised by women inside L3Harris years before Kubasik’s departure.