New York Mayor Adams friend Robert Petrosyants accused of sexual harassment

The name of one of Mayor Adams’ controversial associates, Robert Petrosyants, appears in a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, workplace retaliation and gender discrimination at a Brooklyn restaurant.

Petrosyants is one of several defendants named in the lawsuit, which was filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court on January 12 by Topazio Diaz, a former employee of a restaurant owned by Petrosyants, according to court records.

In the lawsuit, Diaz alleges that while working at Las Santas, restaurant chef Adrian Ramirez kissed her on the lips without her consent on August 14, 2022. Petrosyants is accused of not responding appropriately to the alleged harassment.

In the following days, Diaz claims in her lawsuit that she was subjected to a “campaign of harassment and revenge” by Ramirez and that management failed to adequately resolve the situation.

Petrosyants and his twin brother Johnny have been a flashpoint for Mayor Adams since the start of his administration last year.

Robert Petrosyants at the celebration for New York City Mayor Eric Adams at Zero Bond in Manhattan, New York on November 2, 2021.

In 2014, the two pleaded guilty to a medical billing scheme involving no-fault insurance claims. Robert was sentenced to six months in federal prison, while Johnny received a suspended sentence. Despite this, Adams maintained a relationship with both men and was protective of their friendship.

Upon learning of Robert Petrosyants’ recent legal troubles, a spokesman for Adams declined to comment on the matter.

Diaz’s complaint alleges that her manager, Junayed Ruheen, discouraged her from raising her concerns to HR, and that when he gave her the contact information of someone in HR, he told her that she “never get an answer.”

“Then the defendant Petrosyants, the owner, arrived,” her lawsuit says.

It is further alleged that after Diaz explained the situation to Petrosyants, he “did not allow” her to return to work at Las Santas, where the harassment allegedly took place.

Instead, she claims that Petrosyants offered her a job at Osteria La Baia, one of Adams’ hideouts, but when she revealed she was working there, she found out there wasn’t really a job waiting for her. Instead, she said she was “offered the opportunity to apply for a job there.”

Her lawsuit also alleges that Las Santas “never provided” employee training on sexual harassment, as required by state law.

Las Santas, Rujin and Ramirez appear as defendants in Diaz’s lawsuit.

Petrosyants and Rukhin did not respond to messages.

When contacted in Las Santas, Ramirez said he “didn’t know” about the lawsuit against him.

“I know what happened, but I have no idea how to act on it at all. I have never been put in such a position in my life,” he said. “I just don’t feel good talking about it.

Diaz’s lawyer, Paul Grosswald, declined to comment on the case itself, but said it illustrates a broader issue when it comes to sexual harassment in general.

“I can tell you that the problem of sexual harassment in New York remains rampant,” he said. “The state and city have recently enacted new laws to increase employee protections, but many employers still have not developed a written anti-harassment policy or provide training for their employees on sexual harassment as required by law. The abundance of lawsuits filed in recent years is a warning to all employers – take sexual harassment seriously or you’ll pay.”

According to her lawsuit, Diaz also worked at another Petrosyants-owned restaurant, Imani Caribbean Kitchen and Bar, before she worked at Las Santas. These two locations are within walking distance of each other in downtown Brooklyn.

Diaz alleges in court documents that Ramirez made false accusations that she stole from Imani and was booked there five times, and that she was unable to collect unemployment benefits because Imani “falsely informed the employment office” that she was never there. did not work.

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