Married hotel CEO kissed and molested terrified female manager at Justin Timberlake concert, lawsuit alleges

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

A married hotel CEO in Michigan allegedly groped and kissed a female employee during a company outing to a Justin Timberlake concert.
Asad Malik, the CEO of the Amerilodge Group, which owns and manages multiple hotel chains in the Midwest, has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and battery by his former employee, Stephanie Starling.
Starling alleges that while at the concert in February, Malik told her that he wanted a kiss, adding, 'bet it would be a good kiss too. Probably later tonight.'
Starling nervously laughed in response to the unwanted attention, but Malik allegedly kept pursuing her.
The CEO later came up to her, standing silently, and allegedly told her that he was 'just looking at her lips' and thinking of the kiss, according to the lawsuit.
In reaction to the stunning comments, Starling quickly found her supervisor and general manager, pleading with them not to leave her side to avoid being alone with Malik.
However, later that night, she found herself seated next to Malik after he squeezed into a booth to be next to her.
Malik then 'slid his hand under her right thigh and touched her butt,' according to the lawsuit.
Starling was terrified after the encounter and was 'noticeably trembling in fear' while she tried to eat.
Starling escaped the situation by excusing herself to go to the bathroom. When the show began and the group went to their seats, Malik allegedly attempted to get Starling to sit next to him.
When Starling's general manager sat with her instead, Malik was 'visibly angry with the situation,' the lawsuit states.
While in the bathroom during the concert, she called her father in tears, begging him not to call the police.
Her general manager and supervisor overheard the phone call and told her they were planning on reporting Malik's behavior.
When the group returned to a nearby hotel after the show, Malik allegedly said he needed to talk to her and asked her to get in his vehicle.
He then allegedly drove to a dark area and told her it was 'time for that kiss.' Starling rejected the advances, which made Malik agitated, and he pressed her about why she wouldn't kiss him.
She demanded to be taken back to the hotel and threatened to walk back to the snow if he didn't drive her.
When she returned to work at the Marriott in Bay City, Starling notified HR and was told that a third party would investigate her accusations.
Starling met with an attorney virtually to explain what happened, but alleges that the company never followed up about her complaint.
While she continued working, she noticed coworkers were gossiping about the investigation.
Starling called her supervisor, crying, and soon after noticed that her company email was revoked.
She was then instructed to submit an official resignation letter, despite having informed HR that she had no intention of quitting.
Not even a month after the concert, she received an email that HR was 'upholding her resignation.' She was later informed that the third-party investigation couldn't substantiate her claims.
Starling's attorney, Jack Shulz, told Daily Mail that he sees the comparisons between her story and the viral video of the Astronomer CEO Andrew Byron and his HR chief, Kristin Cabot.
'Although a lot of the focus is the comparison to the deplorable acts of this CEO and that of the Astronomer CEO at the Coldplay, a harder look should be given to the acts of the two human resources departments, which are present themselves as being neutral and having open doors to employees,' he said.
'Here, Starling and others immediately reported the incident, HR acted to protect the company, and she was terminated for speaking up. Both cases demonstrate that HR is in bed with the company---literally and figuratively.'
Starling told the Detroit Free Press that she was offered a settlement payment, calling it 'hush money.'
'You're not going to put a price tag on me, she added.
'I do have the balls to speak up — and it's not okay.'
The company stated in a filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Malik denied the claims, and no one witnessed the alleged assault.