EXCLUSIVE: Robert De Niro’s star-studded restaurant Nobu hits back at hostess suing for sexual harassment, saying she ‘acquiesced’ when manager ‘repeatedly touched her buttocks’
- In legal filings obtained by DailyMail.com lawyers for Nobu claimed Jane Doe 1 ‘approved’ ‘consented to’ or ’caused’ the conduct alleged in her complaint
- The Malibu-based celebrity hotspot, part-owned by Robert De Niro, is asking for the case to be dismissed and for the hostess to pay Nobu’s legal bills
- She first sued in September, claiming she and others were forced to ‘dress in skimpy clothes and brush off unwanted sexual advances’ from staff and patrons
A restaurant hostess who is suing Robert De Niro’s celebrity hotspot Nobu – claiming sexual harassment from staff and patrons – only has herself to blame, lawyers for the famed sushi eatery blasted back at the weekend.
In her lawsuit, the 23 year-old woman, identified only as Jane Doe, alleged she and other female staffers were forced to ‘dress in skimpy clothes and brush off unwanted sexual advances from managers and patrons.’
She also claimed that she was repeatedly touched by a manager, referred to as, ‘Marcus’, while she was working.
But in new documents obtained by DailyMail.com, the restaurant’s legal team hit back, claiming the hostess, ‘through her conduct approved, authorized, acquiesced, consented to, caused or ratified the conduct alleged in the complaint, to the extent any such conduct occurred.’-
Luxury sushi restaurant Nobu Malibu has responded to a lawsuit filed by one of its hostesses accusing the establishment of perpetuating a culture of sexual harassment
Nobu was founded in 1994 by chef Nobu Matsuhisa (right), two-time Oscar-winner Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper
The restaurant is a well-known celeb hotspot in the greater Los Angeles area, drawing in the likes of Kris Jenner and other members of the Kardashian clan, Bradley Cooper, Drake, Selna Gomez and dozens of other A-listers
The woman, who first filed her suit in September, is seeking $500,000 in damages.
A second Nobu female staffer – Jane Doe 2 – has since sued the restaurant as well with similar claims and is also seeking a half million dollars.
Nobu – part-owned by movie star Robert De Niro – is now asking for the first Jane Doe’s case to be dismissed and for the hostess to pay the restaurant’s legal bills, plus compensation.
De Niro himself was recently embroiled in his own legal troubles after being successfully sued for gender discrimination and sexual harassment by his former assistant.
His company Canal Pictures was ordered to pay Graham Chase Robinson $1.2 million after she claimed he repeatedly branded her a ‘bitch’ and asked her for back-scratches, behavior she branded ‘creepy’.
In their response to Jane Doe 1’s lawsuit, Nobu’s attorneys Kevin Wattles and Rachel Marko say the restaurant ‘generally denies’ all of her allegations and says it is not liable for damages.
The legal team maintained that her claims are ‘barred by statute of limitations and ‘her own actions and cause lot conduct…and by ‘her own breaches of duty’.
‘Based on her own conduct, plaintiff has waived any right to recover any relief by the complaint’, the attorneys write.
The lawyers also vehemently denied that Nobu was to blame for any bad or illegal conduct by any of its employees toward Jane Doe 1.
‘Any unlawful or other wrongful acts attributed to any person(s) employed by (Nobu) were outside then course and scope of the employment of the employee and were not authorized, ratified or condoned by (Nobu), nor did (Nobu) know or have reason too be aware of such alleged conduct,’ they added.
Kevin Hart and Ne-Yo attend a party at Nobu Malibu in July 2022
Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Jen Garcia Allen at Nobu in 2015
The woman’s lawyers claimed unwanted touching was a common occurrence for the hostesses – something that other high-ups at the high-end restaurant were allegedly aware of
According to the woman’s attorney, Bernard Alexander, the hostesses at the restaurant are subjected to unwanted advances constantly as part of their job.
At one point while working in the restaurant, the manager identified as Marcus ‘repeatedly touched her buttocks with his hand while she was working.’
In a press release, Alexander explained the unwanted touching was a common occurrence for the hostesses – and that other high-ups at the high-end restaurant knew.
‘On one occasion, the manager restrained both her hands and kissed her neck after he had been drinking,’ the release from the attorney’s office explained.
Marcus was eventually fired after other managers were informed of the alleged extent of his behavior, but that was not enough for the traumatized hostesses.
‘He was allowed to return to the restaurant as a customer, forcing hostesses who had complained of his behavior to work in fear of encountering him,’ attorney Alexander wrote.
The lawyer alleges not only was the situation ‘harassing’ in nature, but also gender-based as male employees did not endure the same treatment.
Jane Doe 1, an aspiring actor, did not feel that she could leave her role that provided her with a ‘steady salary’ and access to ‘captains of the entertainment industry.’
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, for whom the restaurant chain is named at its Malibu location
In their latest filing, lawyers for Nobu denied all the allegations of Jane Doe 1’s complaint
The lawsuit called the job an ‘otherwise desirable role.’
In his release, Alexander also called out Hollywood stars who frequent and support the restaurant.
‘It’s a frustrating irony that Nobu caters to a Hollywood client list that routinely rallies against and cancels contemporaries who exhibit the same kind of misogynistic and exploitative behavior that Nobu’s managers seem to encourage,’ Alexander wrote.
He added that Jane Doe and other female employees’ access to the ‘captains of the entertainment industry’ felt forced to stay silent for the sake of their jobs.
Nobu was founded in 1994 by chef Nobu Matsuhisa alongside De Niro and film producer Meir Teper.
As of 2023, there are more than 50 Nobu restaurants around the world.
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