Washington: A former staffer at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was sexually harassed by her manager and then forced to sign an illegal non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by an incumbent attorney of former US President Donald Trump.
Alice Bianco has alleged in her lawsuit filed against the establishment that she was given “very short uniform skirts” to wear by her boss Pavel Melichar, reports CNN.
Bianco, who was 21 at the time and had worked as a server, also claimed that Melichar, who was in his mid-50s, showered her with gifts and coerced her to engage in sex in exchange for “protection” and job security.
When Bianco rejected advances, Melichar retaliated against her by giving her “unfair job assignments and allowing his henchmen to abuse her and steal her tips”, the lawusit claimed.
Melichar however, has not been named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Bianco also alleged that she soon learned that one of her colleagues planned to write a letter to Trump’s personal staff about the “toxic and sexist work environment” at the club.
Soon after the letter was delivered, Bianco said she was approached in July 2021 by attorney Alina Habba – who was a member of the club but did not legally represent Trump at the time.
According to the lawsuit, Habba encouraged Bianco not to go public with her accusations and to instead sign a “simple” NDA.
Habba allegedly said that she could make sure Bianco was “protected”.
Bianco is seeking to stop the Bedminster club from enforcing the NDA, pay her legal fees, and refer Habba to the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics.
She is not seeking any additional penalties.
“Alina Habba used the unethical silencing of my client, Ali Bianco, as a way to propel herself into Trump’s inner circle,” Bianco’s lawyer Nancy Erika Smith told CNN on Thursday.
Smith said that Habba “knew Bianco had a lawyer but targeted and manipulated her to enter into an agreement favorable to Trump … for a fraction of what a typical settlement would be for these claims”.
Also in a statement to CNN, Habba said: “I always conduct myself ethically and acted no differently in this circumstance.”
–IANS
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