(WWJ) The historic Detroit Athletic Club is the target of a sexual harrassment lawsuit being announced today.
Civil rights attorney John Marco represents photographer Sabal Kodish, who had worked with the DAC on a number of events going back to 2013. She claims her supervisor became obsessed with her, and wouldn't stop harassing her.
"Things went downhill from there," Marco told WWJ. At one point, she says he plied her with drinks and dragged to her an upstairs room, telling a bellhop he wanted to "do something very bad to her."
After spurning his advances and reporting it to higher-ups, she says the DAC sent the supervisor on a vacation and retaliated against her by cutting off her work. Kodish's attorney John Marco tells WWJ that should not be allowed to happen.
"What type of message does it send when one of your employees speaks up, you send the perpetrator to Italy on vacation, then you retaliate against the woman who's complaining," Marco said.
Marco says they will present evidence of the harassment in the form of texts and e-mails, adding the experience has upset Kodish greatly and has impacted her life.
WWJ has a call in to the Detroit Athletic Club seeking comment.
The private club, built in 1915, is a stalwart on the old money Detroit social scene, attracting some of the biggest names in the region to its pools, athletic facilities, ballrooms, and more. A standard membership to the new Detroit Club costs $250 per month, plus a $3,500 entrance fee.
