Noelle Dunphy, 43, alleges that starting in 2019, she worked for NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani for three years. She said that the ex-attorney and ex-mayor had her work off-the-books as a “secret” employee from 2019 to 2021. Dunphy admits that the two were involved in a romantic affair, but things went downhill when he started demanding sexual favors and drinking too much.
Dunphy is suing Giuliani for $3.1 million. Her lawsuit says that Giuliani demanded sexual favors from her and created a toxic work environment.
She accuses him of being a sexual predator.
Dunphy alleges that he fired her and threatened her to keep her mouth shut about the sexual harassment.
Dunphy wrote that Giuliani made the work environment toxic and difficult and that he often made derogatory comments about minorities, women, and anyone he considered disloyal to him or his cronies.
According to Dunphy, Giuliani frequently spouted racist and anti-Semitic remarks, as well as innuendos and insults against women and LGBTQ individuals, more so when he was drunk, and that he drank a lot at the office.
She said in the beginning of their relationship, Giuliani was her boss and her attorney. She hired him to help her with abuse that she had suffered previously in her life. They became closer as their relationship developed and they became intimately involved.
Instead of giving her legal advice, Giuliani would get drunk while discussing her case and then pressure her to have sex with him during their consultations.
Dunphy said she ended up feeling more traumatized as a result of Giuliani’s conduct.
Robert Costello, Rudy Giuliani’s attorney, said that he denies the allegations and that Dunphy never worked for him.
The lawsuit accuses Giuliani of creating a toxic working environment while drinking alcohol and violating New York State and City laws prohibiting workplace discrimination.
Dunphy said that the former mayor would begin drinking as soon as he got to work and would not stop for the rest of the day, which affected his behavior as her boss and lawyer. She claimed that the divorce from his ex-wife, Judith Giuliani intensified his drinking.
In 2021, without warning, Giuliani fired Dunphy, according to her, after he had increased the sexual harassment and refused to pay her for work that she had done. Dunphy believes that he fired her because he lost interest in her and was concentrating on another prey, another female employee.
Dunphy said when she contacted Giuliani about payment, he threatened to retaliate against her and mentioned his political connections to former President Trump and other influential people.
She said that although she agreed to be an off-the-books employee, she could prove that he hadn’t paid her for her work.