Hedge fund chief Marc Leary has been accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit by a former executive at his firm – less than a week after the billionaire filed her complaint alleging he was doing so. An attempt is being made to extort 50 million dollars from him.
Larry allegedly forcibly kissed and groped Gina Strum, co-founder of Avenue Capital Group and a major fund-raiser for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, according to her complaint filed Wednesday in a New York state court. .
“Larry sexually abused [Gina] Strum on an ongoing basis during the course of his employment,” the lawsuit alleges.
Strum, who worked in business development at Avenue from 2009 to 2013, also sued Larry for discrimination and retaliation. The complaint includes claims of discrimination against Larry’s sister and Avenue co-founder Sonia Gardner.
Larry and Avenue filed a lawsuit against Strum last Friday, accusing him of demanding $50 million to stop him and the company from spreading dirt.
“Strum’s desperate attempt to claim that Mr. Lary acted inappropriately and sexually harassed her is simply not true,” a spokeswoman for Ms. Avenue told The Post on Thursday.
“Avenue filed a defamation case against him on October 18. They refused to give him the forcefully demanded amount. Their claims, filed yesterday, include further statements that are defamatory and false. Mr. Larry and Avenue will respond to Ms. Strum’s false defamatory statements and defend their reputation to the fullest extent of the law,” the representative said.
Daniel Kaiser, one of Strum’s lawyers, claimed that Larry filed his lawsuit in a preemptive effort to silence his client.
Larry, 65, who is married and has five children, claims Strum’s alleged threats began shortly after he left the company.
According to Larry’s lawsuit, he received a severance package for an undisclosed amount and continued to work as a consultant for Avenue over the past decade.
Strum’s countersuit alleges that Larry began sexually harassing her soon after she was hired and continued for years while she was a consultant for the firm.
“Larry made it clear to Strum that he wanted both a romantic and sexual relationship with her, even though Larry was married,” the complaint alleges.
Strum was “surprised” by Larry’s request and immediately rejected him, she alleges.
But that reportedly didn’t dissuade Larry, the former owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
“Throughout her employment, Larry frequently forced Strum to hug Larry against her will and without her consent so that he could press her breasts and touch her,” the lawsuit alleges.
Larry painted a different picture in his lawsuit
She alleges Strum sent her inappropriate emails and texts, one of which read, “You’re a lovebug to me.”
The mogul has been raising money for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, including hosting a Zoom call in July to garner financial support among fellow Wall Street veterans.
