'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Alice Bianco, a former server at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, has now filed a lawsuit alleging that she was harassed by the club’s food and beverage manager, Pavel Melichar. She further claimed that the former president’s attorney, Alina Habba, tricked her into signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) over the alleged harassment.
On November 29, 2023, Bianco filed her lawsuit against the club in New Jersey in the Middlesex County Superior Court.
As per multiple reports, the lawsuit does not list Pavel Melichar, Donald Trump, or Alina Habba as defendants, but only Trump National Golf Club.
Alice Bianco alleged to have been forced into having relations as a "quid pro quo" to keep her job
New York Daily News reported that, as per the lawsuit, soon after Alice Bianco started her employment at the Trump National in Bedminster in 2021, her boss Pavel Melichar started initiating s*xual advances towards her.
According to the report by the New York Daily News, Alice, who was 21 at the time of the alleged harassment, tried to ward off Pavel Melichar’s approaches. However, the manager coerced her by stating that he "required [Bianco] to engage in s*x as a quid pro quo for continued employment” at the club.
The report by the New York Daily News stated that according to the lawsuit, the alleged harassment continued into July 2021, when Alice Bianco came back to work from a personal trip and had an outburst at Pavel:
"I don’t want you! I never wanted you! Get away from me!"
The New York Post reported that after an unidentified coworker informed Trump's personal staff about Pavel's alleged harassment, Bianco sought legal counsel and was approached by a Human Resources officer of the club.
As per Politico, after she was contacted by Human Resources, Alice Bianco heard from Alina Habba, who allegedly pretended to be her friend and convinced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Newsweek reported that the lawsuit read:
"Acting secretly on behalf of defendant [the club] and Donald Trump, Habba pressured Plaintiff, who was unrepresented by counsel, to sign a Settlement Agreement with a paltry payment and an illegal NDA by saying 'you have to do this now' and telling her to sign the Agreement right away."
According to the report by the New York Post, Alina Habba reportedly encouraged Alice Bianco to get rid of her current lawyer and also allegedly told her that the NDA settlement payment would not be taxed and she would be financially compensated to attend therapy.
The former president’s attorney claims to have conducted the case "ethically"
The New York Post reported that Alina Habba was not made Donald Trump's personal attorney until one month after the NDA was reached.
Alina Hababa, who is a key member of Donald Trump's legal staff, first represented him in a September 2021 lawsuit against the New York Times, which was thrown out by a judge in May 2023. She has also represented him in a civil fraud suit in New York State and in a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many former Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation officers.
Addressing the alleged misconduct of Alina Hababa, Alice Bianco told Politico:
"I didn't know my rights. I didn't know Alina wasn't supposed to discuss a case with me without my lawyer. I didn't know New Jersey had banned non-disclosure agreements for victims of s*xual harassment. All I knew was that the person claiming to be my friend and adviser threw me in the trash as soon as she pressured me into silence."
The New York Post reported that in a statement, Alina Hababa said:
"I always conduct myself ethically and acted no differently in this circumstance."
Newsweek reported that in the lawsuit, Alice Bianco is seeking a permanent injunction to prevent the Trump National Golf Club from implementing the NDA, a declaration that the NDA is nullified, and a referral of Alina Habba to the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics for ethics breaches. She additionally asks the club to cover her legal bills and charges.
