Rudy Giuliani sued for $10m for alleged sexual assault by former employee

Rudy Giuliani has been sued for $10m for sexual assault, harassment, wage theft and other misconduct by a former associate who claims he forced her to perform sex acts on him and work in the nude.

Noelle Dunphy alleges that the former New York City mayor made “sexual demands” throughout her employment and went on “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks,” many of which she recorded.

“He made clear that satisfying his sexual demands-which came virtually anytime, anywhere-was an absolute requirement of her employment and of his legal representation,” the lawsuit states.

She claims that she agreed to start working for Mr Giuliani for a salary of $1m per year, but he told her he would have to defer payment as he was going through a divorce with his “crazy” ex-wife.

Ms Dunphy states that she was also asked to record conversations with Mr Giuliani “as well as Giuliani’s interactions with others.”

“But unbeknownst to Ms Dunphy, Giuliani apparently decided during the interview that he would use the job offer and his representation as a pretext to develop a quid pro quo sexual relationship with Ms Dunphy. He was later recorded telling Ms Dunphy, ‘I’ve wanted you from the day I interviewed you,’” the lawsuit states.

She also claims that the first week she worked for Mr Giuliani, 78, he flew her to New York and invited her to stay at his apartment in the city, where they drank together.

“Giuliani then pulled her head onto his penis, without asking for or obtaining any form of consent. He held her by her hair. It became clear to Ms Dunphy that there was no way out of giving him oral sex. She did so, against her will,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also states that Mr Giuliani insisted that she carried out her work naked, wearing a bikini, or tiny shorts with an American flag on them that he provided for her.

And she accuses him of inappropriate conduct while on video calls with her.

“When they were apart, they would often work remotely via videoconference, and during those conferences Giuliani almost always asked her to remove her clothes on camera. He often called from his bed, where he was visibly touching himself under a white sheet,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states that she began working for Mr Giuliani in January 2019 and that he fired her in January 2021, without paying her the deferred salary.

She is seeking $10m from Mr Giuliani and three of his namesake companies.

“Giuliani vehemently and completely denies the allegations in the complaint and plans to thoroughly defend against these allegations. This is pure harassment and an attempt at extortion,” a spokesperson for Mr Giuliani told Reuters.