NEW YORK, NY (1010 WINS) -- A former waiter at one of Manhattan's finest restaurants claims he was repeatedly harassed about his sexual orientation, then ignored by managers when he complained.
Joseph Bassani, who worked at Jean Georges until January 2006, said in his federal lawsuit that the restaurant's chef de cuisine and other employees insulted him after learning he was gay.
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court, alleges a litany of ribald behavior at the posh restaurant.
In one instance, Bassani said managers hired a prostitute and threw a wild party for the departing chef de cuisine. The woman performed sex acts on herself and the staff in the plush dining room.
According to the suit, the woman ``charged at Bassani, pushed him onto the top of one of the dining room tables, straddled him, and began to gyrate ... within inches of his face.''
Jessica Kingsland, a spokeswoman for Jean Georges Management, which operates the restaurant, declined to comment on the allegations. She said the company hadn't yet seen the suit, but that the waiter left on ``good terms.''
Jean Georges is owned by top chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. He is not named in the suit.
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