Long Island man’s $100M suit claims female boss forced him into sex at work for years — ‘even a Mercedes needs a tune up sometimes’
A man from Long Island says he was forced to sleep with his female supervisor for years while they worked at a drug‑rehab center in Queens, and the supervisor even tried to justify the nightly encounters by citing former President Obama.
Barack met Michelle at work. She was his boss. Be presidential … I think the next text [from you] should be saying Thank you,” Saint Joseph’s Medical Center program director Michele Poole allegedly told underling Kian Cooper, according to his $100‑million sex‑discrimination lawsuit. “I’m sooo undervalued. You know even a Mercedes needs a tune up sometimes.”
Everyone who worked there knew what was happening behind Poole’s office doors, the Brooklyn Supreme Court complaint alleged, because of “the loud noises relative to sexual activities.” The lawsuit claims Kian Cooper, a single father of two, was repeatedly leveled with threats of termination when he tried to stop the forced encounters, with Poole allegedly telling him, “Find another job,” after he pressed her to end the abuse.
Poole has denied every accusation. She says their “six‑month affair” was mutual, claims Cooper showered her with gifts and romantic cards, and insists she had no authority to hire or fire him. “He’s just making stuff up,” she insisted. “I have proof of the intimate things he sent me.” “I have credible evidence and I will be filing a lawsuit against anyone who slanders me,” she added.
Cooper also said Poole was involved with a second staff member, a claim the other employee denied. The lawsuit contends that the unwanted meetings happened two or three times a week in Poole’s fourth‑floor office, usually at the start of Cooper’s 6 a.m. shift, when Poole would call him. He says he tried to elude her: “After a while I would do things to avoid her,” he alleged, adding, “Walking from the third to the fourth floor, I would think, ‘Damn it, how am I going to get out of this office without feeling gross?’”
Cooper, who now holds two Master’s degrees in social work and urban affairs, says he stayed in the role as a clinical supervisor at Saint Joseph’s only because he needed the job after a past drug conviction. The lawsuit claims Poole was also having an affair with another employee at the same opioid‑treatment center when he joined in 2019. In 2022, the lawsuit alleges, Poole allegedly sent him an anonymous fruit basket before demanding a sexual relationship, which allegedly began with a date at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown.
Because of the harassment, Cooper took two medical leaves, including a month‑long absence and another two months, citing stress and anxiety. After he finally filed a complaint in February 2024, Poole allegedly told him, “The sh‑t you pulled was extremely foul. You hung me out to dry.”
According to Cooper’s lawyers, JoAnn Squillace and Stephen Drummond, men can be victims of sexual harassment just as women are.
Poole denies making any of the claims. She says she sent fruit baskets to all staff for birthdays and that the staff were present during all meetings, so there was no opportunity for private encounters. “We had a full staff by 6 a.m.,” she said, adding, “I’ve never done anything to harm him.” Saint Joseph’s has not responded to requests for comment.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
