The Plaza Hotel Fostered 'Rape Culture', Lawsuit Claims

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Six employees of the iconic Plaza Hotel have filed a lawsuit in Bronx Supreme Court accusing the hotel of fostering a culture of sexual harassment, according to multiple reports.

The six women — four of whom still work at the hotel — said they were subject to unwanted advances from superiors at The Plaza's Palm Court restaurant, the Daily News reported. When one of the women, Crystal Washington, reported claims of sexual harassment to superiors she was repeatedly ignored, according to the report.

"I consistently complained to management but nothing was done. Basically it started with explicit sexual comments and escalated to groping — approaching from behind," Washington told the Daily News. "It was horrible. I felt like I had nowhere to turn."

Another woman, Dana Lewis, described working at the Palm Court as "hell" in an interview with the New York Post. Lewis told the Post that the hotel's general manager — a man named Christian Floren — followed her into a coat check room three times in one day and began to grab and kiss Lewis without her permission.

When Lewis spurned the man's unwanted advances he cried and said he would write her a good performance review if she didn't report him, the Daily News reported.

"While patrons enjoy the iconic culture of The Plaza, many of its female employees are forced to endure a culture of a different type – rape culture," the lawsuit claims, as reported by the Post.

The six women are suing The Plaza for unspecified damages, according to multiple reports.

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