The wife of hotelier and Waverly Inn partner Sean MacPherson got so smashed at the downtown hotspot she tried to lock lips with the maitre d \u2014 and then tried to bribe him into silence, a lawsuit claims. <\/p>\n
Surveillance footage documenting the embarrassing Jan. 29 incident between Rachelle Hruska MacPherson \u2014 whose clothing brand Lingua Franca NYC sells precious, pricey, hand-embroidered sweaters with lefty phrases like \u201cNo Kings\u201d and \u201cICE out\u201d \u2014 was quickly erased after the employee complained, he claimed in the filing.<\/p>\n
That night MacPherson, 43, \u201cengaged in a series of escalating, unwelcome, and non-consensual physical acts\u201d toward longtime Waverly Inn employee Blake Deemer, he alleged in Manhattan Supreme Court papers filed Saturday.<\/p>\n
Rachelle Hruska MacPherson is a regular presence at Waverly Inn, where her husband is a partner. Getty Images<\/p>\n
She leaned on him, grabbed his arm and used Deemer for \u201cphysical support,\u201d\u00a0before she tried to lay one on him, the worker alleged.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe repeatedly attempted to force physical intimacy by bringing her face toward [his] face in an effort to kiss\u201d him, Deemer said in the legal filing.<\/p>\n
The wealthy entrepreneur \u2014 whose hubby is a partner in boutique Manhattan hotspots such as the Jane and Chelsea hotels \u2014 then grabbed Deemer\u2019s collar and pulled him toward her, but he got away, he told The Post.<\/p>\n
\u201cI literally said to her something along the lines of, \u2018I\u2019m trying to help you wake up tomorrow without regrets,\u2019 \u201d he recalled. <\/p>\n
The alcohol-soaked episode finally ended after Sean MacPherson called her cell phone and sent a car for his wife, Deemer said.<\/p>\n
Deemer, who worked at the Bank Street hotspot founded Vanity Fair legend Graydon Carter for more than four years, immediately complained of the wife\u2019s behavior, but management was dismissive, he said in court papers.<\/p>\n
In February 2022 Rachelle MacPherson allegedly ripped the employee\u2019s facemask off, he said in court papers. Getty Images<\/p>\n
A day after he complained, Deemer said Rachelle MacPherson texted him, asking for his information for the payment apps Venmo or Zelle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing and context of this payment were reasonably understood as an attempt to influence or silence\u201d Deemer said in court papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to \u2018send me a little something\u2019 for taking care of her,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t respond. I was so shocked. . . . I didn\u2019t know how to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen eventually I responded the next day: \u2018That\u2019s very generous. I\u2019m not comfortable with that I just need some time.’\u201d<\/p>\n
The employee claimed a drunken Rachelle Hruska MacPherson tried to kiss him. Eilon Paz<\/p>\n
He later learned the surveillance footage of the incident was deleted, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n