Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP has filed a lawsuit for sexual harassment and retaliation against Prova Pizzabar co-owned by the former judge of “Iron Chef America”, Donatella Arpaia, and celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos. The pair is being accused of not properly managing sexual harassment complaints at their Grand Central Terminal pizzeria, terminating the employee who was accosted, and retaliating against her. The former employee claims she was subject to constant sexual harassment at the hands of her co-worker and that she was terminated after complaining about it to her supervisor.
The extremely hostile and intimidating work environment was created by the sexual advances of her relentless co-worker. She alleges that he would constantly make sexually charged comments about any changes in her figure and buttocks. He even went as far as to grope her backside in the pizzeria where cameras were present. Extremely upset, the former employee immediately approached her manager to make a formal complaint and was subsequently fired the next day over the phone. Our firm took the case on and sent a letter to Prova Pizzabar on behalf of the former employee in an attempt to settle the matter pre-litigation. Geragos responded with a letter and in retaliation, threatened our plaintiff and our firm with unfounded monetary sanctions in an attempt to deter our client from pursuing her claims.
As a strong advocate for employee rights, Fitapelli & Schaffer does not tolerate worker intimidation. A formal lawsuit was filed against the company soon after with an additional claim for retaliatory threats under the New York City Human Rights Law. If you or a loved one feels they may have experienced gender discrimination or sexual harassment at their place of employment, do not hesitate to call us for a free phone consultation. We can be reached at (212) 300-0375 or by visiting our webpage.
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