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A bartender who worked for Julian Medina claims that the chef is blackmailing her with a sex tape — one that was allegedly filmed without her permission while they had an affair, according to a new lawsuit.
The Post reports that Toloache bartender Olga Ramos is suing the chef for sexual harassment after he allegedly hit on her multiple times until she agreed to start a relationship. After they started seeing each other, he allegedly sent her a video of her performing oral sex on him that had been taken without her knowledge, the complaint says. Ramos claims it was a threat to stay silent about the harassment.
She’s asking for $500,000 from Medina and Toloache, as well as attorneys fees and punitive damages.
But the chef’s attorney says that Medina “is innocent of the charges.” “Ms. Ramos has manufactured this scandalous tale for the sole purpose of embarrassing our client,’’ according to a statement given to the Post.
Medina, who is married with children, is the prolific chef behind popular restaurants with Latin American bents like Yerba Buena and Tacuba. He’s planning to open two more restaurants this year.
According to the suit, Medina started asking Ramos out when she started working at Toloache in 2010. By 2012, she agreed, and the restaurateur paid her rent and other expenses over the four years that they were involved, the suit claims.
Medina ended the relationship in November 2016, and after that, he allegedly started verbally and physically harassing Ramos at work — including kicking her between the legs and telling her to “get back into your cage,” the complaint says. He also allegedly showed up at her house drunk in May 2017 and asked for anal sex.
Ramos claims in the suit that the “degrading and humiliating” behavior gave her “severe anxiety about going to work.” She did not quit out of fear of losing income and his influence in the restaurant industry, the suit says.
Stay tuned for more.
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