November 9, 2005
An aspiring entertainer who sought work as a model with the clothing line
Barami has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan accusing the company's head, Bahram
Hakakian, of groping her and offering her drugs during a job interview.
Kelly Alexander, 22, says in court papers the offensive behavior occurred Sept 1,
2004, in Hakakian's office on West 36th Street, where he interviewed her for the
modeling position. She says she had been invited to apply after a salesperson
saw her in a Barami store two months earlier.
During the interview, court papers say, Hakakian harassed and abused
Alexander by refusing to leave the room where she was dressing, offering her
wine and illegal drugs, showing her sexually explicit and offensive illustrations
on his computer and groping and fondling her buttocks and breasts.
Because Alexander rejected Hakakian's unwelcome actions, she was not hired,
her court papers say.
Alexander's lawsuit, filed late Monday, names Hakakian, Barami Enterprises
Inc., Barami Studio and Barami as defendants. It seeks unspecified monetary
compensation for emotional distress and loss of income and punitive damages
for Hakakian's alleged conduct.
Barami lawyer Kenneth Schachter said yesterday that he had not seen the
lawsuit and had no comment on it. But he added that Hakakian had denied
similar allegations lodged by Alexander in a proceeding earlier this year before
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Tuckner said the EEOC proceeding and negotiations concluded in June 2005
without a resolution.
