Multiple Women Have Come Forward Now, Says Lawyer for Woman Suing The Preserve for Sexual Harassment
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
Multiple Women Have Come Forward Now, Says Lawyer for Woman Suing The Preserve for Sexual Harassment
“The bottom line is that this case is not going away, and the legal exposure to The Preserve is staggering,” said Gagliardi, one of the state’s top employment attorneys,
GoLocal broke the story of the allegations of abuse and McDaniel’s lawsuit.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“In fact, since this lawsuit was filed, two more victims have reached out to my client and it is likely that more lawsuits will be filed against The Preserve in the near future. Accordingly, because of Mr. Mihailides’ pattern and practice of sexually harassing women in the workplace, there is an outstanding chance that a jury awards punitive damages against The Preserve, which is unlimited under Rhode Island law,” Gagliardi said.
He added, “Ms. McDaniel remains un-wavered in her resolve to protect other women from enduring the same abuse she suffered. She has chosen to bravely stand alongside Alexandra Beahm and the other women to create a barrier of protection for all women who work at The Preserve.”
McDaniel, in her suit, alleged dozens of examples of incidents of sexual harassment by Mihailides.
And, McDaniel’s lawsuits cite numerous examples of abuse of Beahm.
McDaniel, in the lawsuit, cites example after example of specific incidents of harassment.
“August 10, 2021, Mihailides told McDaniel that her lips were 'so juicy,' and he can 'only imagine what they can do.' Later, McDaniel was told by another Preserve employee named 'Lucas' that Mr. Mihailides insinuated to others that he was having sex with McDaniel,” according to the lawsuit.
“Mihailides often disclosed to McDaniel that he was having multiple, extra-marital affairs, which she found to be unwelcome and offensive. On August 13, 2021, Mihailides attempted to confide in McDaniel about a fight he had with his mistress, but McDaniel told him it was not something she wanted to discuss and that it was inappropriate and made her feel uncomfortable,” according to the lawsuit.
Further, the suit claims, “On or about August 20, 2021, during the filming of a photo shoot, Mihailides attempted to touch McDaniel’s buttocks. Mihailides also bragged about receiving oral sex from a Preserve employee who worked at the front desk, claiming ‘she loves to get on her knees’ and ‘she gives the best blowjobs.’”
According to McDaniel’s lawsuit, she is not the only woman at The Preserve that Mihailides subjected to a hostile work environment based on sex.
“Mihailides made unwelcome, offensive, sexual comments to a former Preserve employee named Alexandra Beahm ('Beahm'). Mihailides also touched Beahm in a sexual manner that were unwelcome and offensive. During Beahm’s employment, Mihailides approached her in the workplace on numerous occasions and tickled her which she found to be unwelcome and offensive,” stated the suit.
“On one occasion, Mihailides got on his knees so he could reach underneath Beahm’s desk so he could tickle her feet. Mihailides told Beahm to lower her COVID mask in the presence of others so she could show her ‘pretty face.’ On another occasion, Mihailides made a joke about the size of his penis while he was in the presence of Beahm and a client,” claims the suit.
After GoLocal unveiled the allegations, the attorney for Mihailides and the two companies McDaniel is suing leveled a number of charges against McDaniel — Gagliardi responded to those claims.
"Ms. McDaniel resigned; she was not terminated by The Preserve. This fact can be verified by five others who were included in a group email that Ms. McDaniel sent when she resigned," said Gagliardi.
"Regarding the accusations made against my client, Ms. McDaniel does not currently possess any of the Preserve’s property, nor was she in possession of any of the Preserve’s property at the time of her employment separation on February 17, 2022. This is just another sad attempt by Mr. Mihailides to bully and punish my client for standing up to him and asserting her legal rights," said Gagliardi.
"Upon learning that there were many other female victims besides herself, Ms. McDaniel chose to stand as a representative for all of them, and she filed her complaint with the EEOC on her own without the assistance of counsel. Here, the EEOC dismissed her charge on the basis of a lack of jurisdiction and not because there was no merit to her sexual harassment claims. Importantly, the EEOC never investigated any of Ms. McDaniel’s sexual harassment claims," Gagliardi added.
Prior to working for Mihailides and The Preserve, McDaniel was an actress.
She had roles in movies such as Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and J. Edgar (Hoover).
McDaniel also appeared in television shows ranging from the soap opera Guiding Light to Gossip Girl.
And, she owned her own marketing firm.