A former server at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was sexually harassed by a supervisor, and then tricked into signing an illegal non-disclosure agreement by an attorney for former President Donald Trump’s lawyer.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in New Jersey’s Middlesex County Superior Court, does not name former President Donald Trump as a defendant.
The server, Alice Bianco, a resident of Middlesex County, claims in the lawsuit that, when she joined the club’s staff in 2021, her supervisor, Pavel Melichar harassed her and attempted to kiss her forcibly. The lawsuit states that Melichar provided Bianco with short uniform skirts and a bottle of Remy Martin, claiming it was a “birthday present.” The suit further alleges that Melichar required Bianco “to engage in sex as a quid pro quo for continued employment and ‘protection.’”
The lawsuit claims that Melichar boasted to Bianco about his influence, showing her videos of Trump praising him, in an effort to communicate that he had a close relationship with the former president. The alleged quid-pro-quo sexual harassment continued from May to July 2021, according to the lawsuit.
After an incident when Bianco tried to pull away from Melichar’s attempted sexual assault, the lawsuit claims Melichar retaliated against her, giving Bianco unfair job assignments and allowing his other servers loyal to her to steal her tips.
Bianco learned about an unnamed co-worker writing a letter to Trump’s personal staff about Melichar’s alleged sexual harassment, the suit says. The co-worker alluded to Bianco’s experiences in the letter, the suit says. The letter is dated July 19, 2021, according to the suit. After the letter’s delivery, Bianco received a call from human resources, prompting her to hire a lawyer, the suit says.
Trump attorney approached victim, suit claims
Alina Habba, a member of the club and an attorney for Trump, allegedly approached Bianco, posing as a friend, and discouraged her from going public, the lawsuit claims. According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 5, 2021, Habba invited Bianco to her car during her shift and suggested signing a “simple” non-disclosure agreement with a $1,000 per day penalty for violations, in exchange for a “paltry sum.”
The lawsuit claims Habba “groomed” Bianco into believing she was a friend, and her law firm drafted the non-disclosure agreement. Habba said to Bianco, “You don’t want to go public with this, I’ve been raped, I can help you, I can protect you.”
The agreement allegedly included false assurances about taxation and payments for therapy. However, New Jersey has prohibited non-disclosure agreements in workplace harassment cases since 2019.
Weeks later, it became public that Habba worked as an attorney for Trump.
The lawsuit seeks to address the alleged harassment, coercion and the legality of the non-disclosure agreement, emphasizing violations of New Jersey law regarding workplace harassment settlements.