Hedge fund honcho Marc Lasry was accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit by a former executive at his firm – less than a week after the billionaire lodged his own complaint claiming that she was trying to extort him for $50 million.
Lasry — the co-founder of Avenue Capital Group and a major fund-raiser for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — allegedly forcibly kissed and groped Gina Strum, according to her complaint filed Wednesday in New York State court.
“Lasry sexually abused [Gina] Strum on a continuing basis during the course of her employment,” the lawsuit alleged.
Strum, who worked in business development at Avenue from 2009 to 2013, also sued Lasry for discrimination and retaliation. The complaint includes discrimination claims against Lasry’s sister and Avenue co-founder Sonia Gardner.
Lasry and Avenue had filed a suit last Friday against Strum accusing her of demanding $50 million to keep her from spilling dirt on him and the firm.
“Ms. Strum’s desperate attempt to claim that Mr. Lasry acted inappropriately and sexually harassed her are completely not true,” an Avenue spokesman told The Post on Thursday.
“Avenue on October 18 filed a lawsuit against her for defamation. They refused to pay her extortionate demands. Her claims filed yesterday include further statements that are defamatory and false. Mr. Lasry, and Avenue will respond to Ms. Strum’s false defamatory statements and defend their reputations to the full extent of the law,” the rep added.
Daniel Kaiser, one of Strum’s lawyers, claimed Lasry filed his suit in a preemptive attempt to silence his client.
The 65-year-old Lasry, who is married and has five kids, has claimed that Strum’s alleged threats began soon after she left the firm.
She received a severance package for an undisclosed sum and continued to work as a consultant for Avenue over the past decade, according to Lasry’s lawsuit.
Strum’s countersuit alleges that Lasry began sexually harassing her soon after she was hired and continued through this year when she was a consultant for the firm.
“Lasry made it clear to Strum that he wanted both a romantic and sexual relationship with her, despite Lasry being married,” the complaint alleged.
Strum was “appalled” by Lasry’s request and immediately turned him down, her suit alleges.
But that allegedly didn’t dissuade Lasry, the former owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
“Throughout her employment, Lasry frequently forced Strum against her wishes and without her consent to hug Lasry so that he could press against her breasts and grope her,” the suit alleges.
Lasry painted a different picture in his lawsuit
He alleges that Strum sent him inappropriate emails and texts, including one saying, “You are a lovebug to me.”
The mogul has been raising money for Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, including organizing a Zoom call in July to rally financial support among fellow Wall Street bigwigs.