The wife of hotelier and Waverly Inn partner Sean MacPherson got so smashed at the downtown hotspot she tried to lock lips with the maitre d — and then tried to bribe him into silence, a lawsuit claims.
Surveillance footage documenting the embarrassing Jan. 29 incident between Rachelle Hruska MacPherson — whose clothing brand Lingua Franca NYC sells precious, pricey, hand-embroidered sweaters with lefty phrases like “No Kings” and “ICE out” — was quickly erased after the employee complained, he claimed in the filing.
That night MacPherson, 43, “engaged in a series of escalating, unwelcome, and non-consensual physical acts” toward longtime Waverly Inn employee Blake Deemer, he alleged in Manhattan Supreme Court papers filed Saturday.
She leaned on him, grabbed his arm and used Deemer for “physical support,” before she tried to lay one on him, the worker alleged.
“She repeatedly attempted to force physical intimacy by bringing her face toward [his] face in an effort to kiss” him, Deemer said in the legal filing.
The wealthy entrepreneur — whose hubby is a partner in boutique Manhattan hotspots such as the Jane and Chelsea hotels — then grabbed Deemer’s collar and pulled him toward her, but he got away, he told The Post.
“I literally said to her something along the lines of, ‘I’m trying to help you wake up tomorrow without regrets,’ ” he recalled.
The alcohol-soaked episode finally ended after Sean MacPherson called her cell phone and sent a car for his wife, Deemer said.
Deemer, who worked at the Bank Street hotspot founded Vanity Fair legend Graydon Carter for more than four years, immediately complained of the wife’s behavior, but management was dismissive, he said in court papers.
A day after he complained, Deemer said Rachelle MacPherson texted him, asking for his information for the payment apps Venmo or Zelle.
“The timing and context of this payment were reasonably understood as an attempt to influence or silence” Deemer said in court papers.
“She wanted to ‘send me a little something’ for taking care of her,” he said. “I didn’t respond. I was so shocked. . . . I didn’t know how to respond.
“Then eventually I responded the next day: ‘That’s very generous. I’m not comfortable with that I just need some time.’”
He later learned the surveillance footage of the incident was deleted, according to the lawsuit.
It wasn’t the first run-in he’d had with MacPherson at the West Village venue beloved by celebs like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
In February 2022, while COVID-19 was still a significant concern, she allegedly ripped his face mask off while he was working, he said in the lawsuit.
After the more recent incident, Deemer worked until he secured Staten Island lawyer Natraj Bhushan, and has stayed away from Waverly Inn since. Deemer is seeking unspecified damages, accusing the restaurant of creating a hostile work environment.
The Waverly Inn declined comment and McPherson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The post Waverly Inn deletes footage, tries to bribe worker after drunken ‘kiss’ from owner’s wife: Lawsuit appeared first on New York Post.
