What began as a professional dinner to discuss her new promotion at the NYU Schack School of Real Estate, Stephanie Bonadio claims turned into inappropriate advances from former Schack Dean James Stuckey.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Manhattan Supreme Court claims that Bonadio had been offered in Spring 2011 a promotion to Director of Corporate and Executive Education and offered a raise. Bonadio claims to have begun performing her new duties for months thereafter, desperately trying to formalize the promotion. Eventually, she says that Stuckey invited her to dinner on Sept.23 to discuss the situation.
The suit alledges that during the meal Stuckey "forcibly placed her hand on his crotch and his erect penis." Three days after reporting the incident, Bonadio said a few officials from NYU told her Stuckey had resigned for "health reasons."
Stuckey previously made the news in 2007 when he resigned from a position after allegations that he acted improperly at a corporate holiday party. In October 2011, as reports of Bonadio's claim were being made, Stuckey left his position as president of the city's Public Design Commission under Mayor Bloomberg.
Bonadio's suit says on Oct. 6, she was informed by the university that "her job no longer existed and that there was no specific job at NYU into which she could be placed."
NYU Vice President of Public Affairs John Beckman, however, told the New York Daily News that Bonadio remains a paid employee of the University, though she has not reported to work.
"The allegation that the University would punish someone for reporting sexual harassment is entirely false; in fact, we take such complaints seriously and act quickly to investigate them," Beckman said. "She continues to have a job and we have urged her to return to work."
The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages, lawyers fees, owed salary and trial by jury, among other demands.
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