A former Cushman & Wakefield property manager was relentlessly harassed by a supervisor who made inappropriate remarks about her religion and sexual orientation and repeatedly ordered her to “turn around and show me your ass,” a new lawsuit alleges.
The property manager, Ahouva Steinberg, is suing the real estate services firm and Cappelli Organization, the owner of the 285-unit New Rochelle apartment building where she worked.
Steinberg, who identifies as Jewish and gay, claims that her time working at the building was “wrought with crude comments about her body, invasive questions about her sexuality (and) inappropriate jokes about her Jewish faith.” She is accusing Cushman and Cappelli of discrimination.
A Cushman spokesperson declined to comment. A lawyer for Cappelli did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Steinberg started working at the building, 3Thirty3, in February 2022, touring the site with prospective tenants and managed the leasing and concierge teams, overseeing move-ins and coordinating vendors. Within days, Steinberg’s direct supervisor, Maya Liepa, told her “there’s a bunch of good-looking men in the back who would love to meet you,” the suit alleges.
The crude remarks escalated, according to the lawsuit, and “Liepa generally focused a great deal of attention on Steinberg’s physique, demanding to know her weight on countless occasions.” Another time, Liepa asked Steinberg “Have you ever fucked a Scorpio?” according to the suit.
Liepa also made remarks about Steinberg’s sexual orientation, telling her she “didn’t look gay,” the suit alleges, and repeatedly asking whether she would “fuck” specific men. According to the suit, Liepa frequently pressured Steinberg and other female employees to “look hot” in the workplace, saying that “sex sells.”
“These outrageous comments about Steinberg’s sexual orientation, as well as the comments regarding Steinberg’s weight and “ass” were utterly humiliating and demoralizing to Steinberg,” the suit says.
The suit also alleges that Liepa made anti-Semitic remarks, referring to a Jewish supervisor as “Hitler” and “cheap Jew.”
Steinberg became increasingly distressed about her work environment and eventually emailed a detailed complaint to human resources, the suit claims. She quit the job in August and was told that human resources would make an inquiry into her accusations.
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But when Steinberg asked if she would hear back from anyone regarding the inquiry, the suit alleges, the human resources manager “said no and ended the call.”
“No employee should be treated like a second-class citizen because they are gay, due to their religion, or because they have a disability,” Steinberg’s attorney Hilary Orzick said.