MANHATTAN (CN) - Publishing executive Laurence Kirshbaum sexually assaulted a woman in public twice, "thrusting" a hand into her panties in a restaurant and his tongue into her vagina as they sat in a café, she claims in court.
Teresa Ellen McCoy sued Laurence Kirshbaum, Hachette Book Group and PEN American Center, in New York County Supreme Court.
Kirshbaum, 69, is chief of publishing for Amazon Publishing and the former CEO of Time Warner Book Group.
Neither Amazon nor Time Warner Book Group is named as defendant.
In the graphic, 17-page complaint, McCoy, an editor, project producer and curator, claims she had a business relationship with Kirshbaum while he was chairman and CEO of Time Warner Book Group, the corporate predecessor of defendant Hachette Book Group.
McCoy says in the complaint that she had a personal relationship with Kirshbaum before 2005; she does not specify when that relationship ended.
After Kirshbaum became executive vice president of the PEN Board of Trustees, he offered to recommend McCoy for a well-paid job with PEN, according to the complaint.
McCoy says she kept in touch with Kirshbaum, whom she had not seen for years, about professional opportunities, and in 2010 she agreed to meet him to discuss the job opening at PEN.
After the meeting, she claims, Kirshbaum began sending her "flirty emails" and assured her he was pursuing the PEN position for her.
"In all communications with Kirshbaum, plaintiff focused on the position, but he continued flirting and finally sought to resume sexual relations with her," the complaint states. "Plaintiff made it clear to Kirshbaum, however, that any relationship had to be a professional one. Once Kirshbaum got the drift, he informed plaintiff, on or about July 19, that she was now 'a long shot' for the position because there were allegedly more qualified candidates. At that point, she was intimidated into never finishing the job application."
The lawsuit continues: "About two weeks later, plaintiff reached out to Kirshbaum, thanking him for recommending her and asking him to keep her in mind if another position became available at PEN. Kirshbaum told her that he would ask about it and would find out all the information between then and a time they could meet and discuss it. Plaintiff agreed that they could meet for coffee.
"Plaintiff and Kirshbaum met on Aug. 9 at a deli/restaurant on East 45 Street and Lexington Avenue. While plaintiff was standing looking at different salad choices she asked Kirshbaum what he was going to get. Instead of replying, the much physically larger Kirshbaum suddenly swooped down, grabbed her and forcibly stuck his tongue in her mouth, causing plaintiff's neck to jerk back in pain in excruciating pain [sic]. While plaintiff was in pain and stunned, Kirshbaum thrust a hand into her pants and panties and touched her anus.
"In a state of shock, plaintiff pushed Kirshbaum away, telling him to stop and she was leaving. Kirshbaum apologized profusely, begged her not to leave and said he was overcome by emotion, she was and always would be the love of his life, he wanted to leave his wife, and she could get any job she wanted or he would give her money.