By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former associate of Rudy Giuliani is suing him for sexual assault and other wrongdoing, accusing Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer of hiring her to fulfill his desire for a sexual relationship.
In a civil complaint filed on Monday in a New York state court in Manhattan, Noelle Dunphy said Giuliani began abusing her almost immediately after hiring her in January 2019 as a director of business development and making clear that satisfying his sexual demands was an “absolute requirement” of her job.
Dunphy also said Giuliani went on “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks” that made her work environment unbearable and firing her in January 2021 without paying salary she had agreed to defer.
“Giuliani presented himself as a generous employer and a hero,” the complaint said. “[H]e was neither…. Through this case, Ms. Dunphy seeks a measure of justice from a man who thought his power and connections rendered him untouchable.”
A spokesperson for Giuliani had no immediate comment.
The lawsuit seeks at least $10 million in damages from Giuliani and three of his namesake companies.
Giuliani, 78, is also a former New York City mayor and Time magazine’s 2001 Person of the Year who became known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
According to the complaint, Giuliani promised to pay Dunphy $1 million a year and represent her for free in separate legal matters concerning domestic abuse but said her pay had to be deferred and her employment kept secret because they might pose problems for his then-“acrimonious” divorce proceedings.
Dunphy said she felt “extreme pressure” to go along with Giuliani’s demands so she would not lose her salary or legal representation.
The complaint described one instance where Giuliani allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him, against her will.
Dunphy had filed a related “summons with notice” against Giuliani in January, seeking $3.1 million.
The case is Dunphy v Giuliani et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 650033/2023.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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