Female owner of celeb-favorite café on New York’s Shelter Island is accused of groping female workers’ breasts, choking employees and spanking them with a bunch of parsley
The owner of a trendy New York cafe has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by eight foreign employees.
Marie Eiffel is the owner of Marie Eiffel Market and Restaurant in the Long Island town of Shelter Island.
The spot is a favorite of celebrities like Christie Brinkley, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain.
Eiffel’s website describes her as a “Shelter Island legend” and “bold as the coffee she serves.”
The lawsuit, filed in US court on Friday, alleges she groped female employees, strangled employees and even beat them with bunches of parsley.
The suit features a picture of Eiffel holding parsley to someone else’s buttocks with her tongue sticking out.
Marie Eiffel (pictured), the owner of a trendy New York café, has been charged with sexual harassment and assault against her employees in a lawsuit brought against her by eight foreign workers. The suit includes this photo of Eiffel holding parsley to someone else’s buttocks with her tongue sticking out
The lawsuit, which was filed in US court on Friday, contains wild allegations against Eiffel, saying she groped female employees, strangled employees and even beat them with bunches of parsley.
The spot is often a favorite of celebrities like Christie Brinkley (pictured), Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain
Charges were filed against both Eiffel and InterExchange Inc., the company that sponsored their work in the US.
The eight employees were all hired through the US government’s J1 program, which provides cultural and educational exchanges for foreign employees. It is often used by companies to strengthen their summer staff.
The workers came from Thailand, Colombia, Malaysia and Ecuador.
They all describe themselves in the complaint as “trafficking survivors seeking redress for rampant sexual assault, assault, discrimination, harassment and wage theft committed by” misuse of the program.
Plaintiffs were subjected to treatment that “included continuous spanking of employees on the buttocks while alone, in front of other employees and even in front of customers, groping the bodies of female employees, including their breasts, and kissing employees.’
Eiffel’s website describes the restauranteur as a “Shelter Island legend” and “bold as the coffee she serves”
The eight employees were all hired through the US government’s J1 program, which provides cultural and educational exchanges for foreign employees. It is often used by companies to strengthen their summer staff
They also accuse Eiffel of “wrapping her hands around the necks of several employees and strangling them.” She “pretended to believe such blatant behavior was funny.”
Eiffel allegedly “routinely slapped plaintiffs on the buttocks, touched the breasts of female employees, strangled employees, and made sexually harassing, degrading, and discriminatory comments about their race and appearance.”
The complaint also alleges that the defendants failed to pay part of their wages and withheld tips, in violation of state labor laws.
The suit includes documentation of the employees working more than 10 hours in shifts for 20 days per month for most of the summer of 2022.
They are seeking damages, restitution, injunctive relief and payment of all legal costs from Eiffel and InterExchange.
Speak with the Shelter Island reporter On Tuesday, Eiffel denied the claims, saying she had not yet been served, but had hired a lawyer.
Eiffel allegedly “routinely slapped plaintiffs on the buttocks, touched the breasts of female employees, strangled employees, and made sexually harassing, degrading, and discriminatory comments about their race and appearance.”
Actress Nina Agdal shared this take on Eiffel cuisine at brunch with Brinkley’s family in 2020
Eiffel believes the lawsuit stemmed from her interaction with a disgruntled former employee whom she called “an awkward young man” and whom she tried to mentor. She claims that he stole from her house.
The owner also claims that the tips weren’t in the employees’ contracts, though Eiffel wants them to get tips, claiming that the employees she hired got “bonus” tips.
She sent a journalist emails from three of her associates who worked for her this summer, all praising her for her efforts.
Eiffel did not provide emails from the plaintiffs in the lawsuit who had worked for her in 2021 and 2022.
The plaintiffs have asked for a jury trial