Zhengzhu Liu, a former Phoenix Satellite TV supervisor, has been making headlines since October 2013 after a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against him by an unpaid intern. While that case was dismissed - on the basis that unpaid interns at the time were not considered ‘employees’ – a new suit had been filed by three women alleging similar accusations.
According to the suit, Heidl Chang, Bingying Liu and Anne Shih are accusing Zhengzhu Liu with luring them to swanky Midtown hotel rooms under the guise that he wanted to discuss work. At the hotel, the women claimed he groped them against their wishes, and propositioned them for sexual favors. Chang and Bingying Liu both work at the New York bureau for Phoenix, while Shih interviewed for a bureau job in 2011. Bingying is not related to the defendant.
During a 2011 encounter at the Double Tree Hotel, Bingying Liu alleges Zhengzhu Liu attempted to have a “Bill Clinton-style” affair with her, after she told him she is happily married.
“He told Ms. Liu that Bill Clinton was impeached because he lied under oath, not because of his sexual affair,” the suit says. “He said that Monica Lewinsky gave Bill Clinton a blow job, and that a blow job is not sexual intercourse. He then said that having a sexual affair and receiving a blow job were ‘not a big deal.’ ”
Lihuan Wang was the defendant in the previous suit. Unfortunately, her case was thrown out because unpaid interns were not covered under the New York City Human Rights Law. However, that will all change in June of this year. Just this past week, Mayor de Blasio signed a bill protecting interns from harassment in NYC.
If you have been harassed at work, don’t hesitate to contact an NYC lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, emotional distress and more.
The Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC handles a multitude of cases that involve sexual harassment in New York City. For further information, please feel free to call us at 800-807-2209 for a free consultation or email at dtslaws@msn.com.
