Real estate exec sued for allegedly groping, trying to kiss employee, telling him ‘I could have you’

An exec at one of NYC’s top real estate firms allegedly bragged about threesomes and groped a male underling, telling him “I could have you if I wanted,” according to a lawsuit.

Paul Herman, president of Brown Harris Stevens’ Residential Management Division, invited the then new employee to a steakhouse in August 2022 and spoke “about the recent passing of his romantic partner” during a shared taxi ride to the restaurant, the worker, identified only as John Doe, said in court papers.

Doe, a vice president and managing director at the real estate brokerage tasked with overseeing one of its “prime properties on Central Park West,” accused Herman, 67, of touching his leg during the boozy meal, then afterward asked him to come up to Herman’s apartment.

Herman is “no longer involved” in Brown Harris Stevens’ day to day operations, the company said in a voicemail greeeting. Brown Harris Stevens

Once in Herman’s home, the boss offered the employee champagne and marijuana before plopping himself on Doe’s lap “and forcibly kissed him,” the employee claimed.

The victim “immediately objected,” prompting Herman to allegedly declare he could “have” Doe, and to describe “a threesome with a restaurant manager that allegedly took place in the middle of his living room,” the employee said in the Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.

Herman allegedly insisted he could have “anyone [he] wants,” and tried to kiss John Doe a second time before he was pushed away, said Doe, who now lives in Florida.

Herman allegedly told the employee about a threesome he’d had with a restaurant manager in his living room, the worker said in a lawsuit. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

He then directed Doe to send an email “confirming that he had a ‘nice dinner.’ Fearing retaliation, [Doe] complied,” he said in the legal papers.

Doe said he was fired in May after complaining.

The firm, which has offices throughout the tri-state area as well as Miami and Palm Beach, did more than $7.5 billion in sales last year, according to RealTrends Verified.

Herman did not return a message seeking comment. A voicemail at Brown Harris Stevens noted Herman is “no longer involved” in the company’s day-to-day operations.

A Brown Harris Stevens rep declined comment.