The owner of a trendy New York café has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by eight foreign workers.
Marie Eiffel is the owner of Marie Eiffel Market and Restaurant in the Long Island town of Shelter Island.
The spot is a favorite of celebrities such as Christie Brinkley, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain.
Eiffel’s website describes her as a ‘Shelter Island legend’ and ‘bold as the coffee she serves.’
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court Friday, claims she groped female employees, choked workers and even spanked them with bunches of parsley.
The suit includes a photo of Eiffel holding parsley against another person’s buttocks with her tongue stuck out.
Marie Eiffel (pictured), the owner of a trendy New York cafe has been accused of sexual harassment and assault of her employees in a lawsuit brought against her by eight foreign workers. The suit includes this photo of Eiffel holding parsley against another person’s buttocks with her tongue stuck out
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court Friday, makes wild accusations against Eiffel, saying she groped female employees, choked workers and even spanked them with bunches of parsley
It was filed against both Eiffel and InterExchange Inc., the company that sponsored their work in the US.
The eight employees were all hired with the United States government’s J1 program, which offers cultural and educational exchanges for foreign workers. It’s often used by businesses to beef up their summer workforce.
The workers came from Thailand, Colombia, Malaysia and Ecuador.
They all describe themselves in the complaint as ‘survivors of human trafficking seeking redress for rampant sexual assault, battery, discrimination, harassment and wage theft perpetrated through’ abuse of the program.
Plaintiffs were subject to treatment that ‘included constantly spanking employees on the buttocks while they were alone, in front of other employees, and even in front of customers, groping female employees’ bodies, including their breasts, and kissing employees.’
They also accuse Eiffel of having ‘wrapped her hands around the neck of and choked multiple employees.’ She ‘acted as though she believed that such egregious behavior was funny.’
Eiffel allegedly ‘routinely spanked Plaintiffs on the buttocks, groped female employees’ breasts, choked employees, and made sexually harassing, demeaning, and discriminatory comments about their race and looks.’
The complaint also says that the defendants failed to pay portions of their wages and withheld tips in violation of state labor laws.
Within the suit includes documentation of the employees working 10-plus hour shifts over 20 days a month for most of the summer of 2022.
Eiffel’s website describes the restauranteur as a ‘Shelter Island legend’ and ‘bold as the coffee she serves’
The eight employees were all hired with the United States government’s J1 program, which offers cultural and educational exchanges for foreign workers. It’s often used by businesses to beef up their summer workforce
Eiffel allegedly ‘routinely spanked Plaintiffs on the buttocks, groped female employees’ breasts, choked employees, and made sexually harassing, demeaning, and discriminatory comments about their race and looks’
The spot is often a favorite of celebrities like Christie Brinkley (pictured), Bradley Cooper , Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain
Actress Nina Agdal shared this view of Eiffel’s cuisine at brunch with Brinkley’s family in 2020
They’re requesting damages, restitution, injunctive relief and payment for all legal fees from Eiffel and InterExchange.
Speaking to the Shelter Island Reporter Tuesday, Eiffel denied the claims and said she had not yet been served but had hired an attorney.
Eiffel thinks the suit spawned from her interaction with a disgruntled former worker whom she called ‘a trouble young man’ whom she tried to mentor. She claims he stole from her home.
The owner also claims that tips weren’t in the workers’ contracts, though Eiffel wants them to be tipped and claims workers she hired were given ‘bonus’ tips.
She sent a journalist emails from three of her employees that worked for her this summer, all lauding her for her efforts.
Eiffel did not provide any emails from any of the plaintiffs in the suit who had worked for her in 2021 and 2022.
The plaintiffs have asked for a jury trial
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk