By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A former associate of Rudy Giuliani is suing him for sexual assault, 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 and seeking at least $10 million, Noelle Dunphy said Giuliani began abusing her almost immediately after hiring her as an off-the-books employee in January 2019.
She said Giuliani made clear that satisfying his sexual demands was an “absolute requirement” of her job.
Dunphy had first publicly discussed her accusations in January but added many new details in a 69-page complaint filed against Giuliani and three of his namesake companies in a New York state court in Manhattan.
Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, said the former New York City mayor “unequivocally denies the allegations raised by Ms. Dunphy.
“Mayor Giuliani’s lifetime of public service speaks for itself and he will pursue all available remedies and counterclaims,” he added.
Giuliani, 78, was named Time magazine’s 2001 Person of the Year and became known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Dunphy said Giuliani promised to pay her $1 million a year and represent her for free in separate legal matters concerning domestic abuse but said he had to defer her pay until he settled his “acrimonious” divorce from his third wife, Judith.
According to Monday’s complaint, Giuliani “forced Ms. Dunphy to perform oral sex on him” throughout their relationship.
Dunphy also said Giuliani went on “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks” that made her work environment unbearable and fired her in January 2021 without paying her deferred salary.
“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.”
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; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
