Chef at ‘Sex and the City’ Restaurant Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Bartender, Asked to Pay $2.5M
An ex-bartender, who accused her ex-boss of sexually assaulting her, had the verdict in favour of her winning $2.5 million.
It was Tatiana Mironova, a Russian immigrant in the United States, who alleged that her former boss Chef Pasquale Marino at Da Marino Ristorante Italiano tried wooing her with "cheesy come-ons." She also alleged that Marino sexually assaulted her after she had discouraged his efforts; New York Post reported. Ms Mironova used to work in the celebrity hangout situated in the Theater District.
Mironova said that it had been "really, really painful." She said that the entire experience was "terrible." "It was hell," she said. However, she said that she was glad that it was "over" and "justice was served." The 28-year-old married woman said in her lawsuit that she had been "instantly turned off" by the "corny pickup lines" of her former boss.
The 52-year-old chef reportedly "hated his wife" and told Mironova that he wanted other women. He said that he could not "eat a burger every day" as he would like to have "pasta" at times, according to the suit. Gordon Kaupp, Mironova's attorney, said that the jurors were convinced by her "emotional testimony." Kaupp said that they had all seemed to have been "punched in the guts" when they heard Mironova's testimony. The jurors found Marino guilty of sexual assault, sexual harassment as well as "fostering a hostile work environment."
Da Marino Ristorante Italiano happens to be a favourite hangout for Chris Noth, notable for Sex and the City which once featured the restaurant. Additionally, Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones and Mario Lopez from Saved by the Bell's also apparently love the place. The cave-like office at the restaurant was the place where Marino allegedly trapped Mironova. She alleged that the chef fondled her breasts and ejaculated on her back in May 2010. However, when she managed to break free, Marino told her that she had "no rights" as she was "an immigrant." He said that nobody would believe her anyway, according to court papers.