A Manhattan bartender’s boss was more interested in twerking than working, a lawsuit claims.
Valerie Smith claims she repeatedly fended off groping and come-ons from her supervisor Angel Hernandez as the two worked together last year at Shorty’s on Pearl Street.
After allegedly suggesting they go dancing so he could show Smith “how to ‘twerk’,” Hernandez approached Smith from behind while she stood at the register of the cheesesteak restaurant, put his hands on her hips and “aggressively bumped into [her],” she charges in a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.
“Twerking is a sexually suggestive dance made famous by erotic dancers to simulate a sex act,” Smith states in court papers.
In other incidents, Hernandez held Smith against her will, smelled her hair, grabbed her rear-end, and once pinched Smith’s arm so hard she was bruised for a month, according to the legal filing.
Smith, who is seeking unspecified damages, rejected an offer to switch to another Shorty’s location and claims the chain did nothing to stop the abuse.
Hernandez could not be reached for comment. Shorty’s did not return a message.