Amazon employee files explosive lawsuit claiming senior executive raped her on NYC business trip
An Amazon employee claimed she was raped by a senior executive during a business trip to New York City — and that the company told her to keep quiet about it as it neglected to perform a full investigation of the allegations, according to an explosive lawsuit.Laura Danbom, who works at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters as a marketing and operations manager for Amazon Web Services, sued the e-commerce giant this week for allegedly subjecting her to a hostile work environment and for violating Washington State’s Silenced No More Act, which protects victims who speak up about workplace assaults from retaliation.The alleged rape took place on Oct.27, 2023 when Danbom traveled to New York with a group of colleagues including Michelangelo Simonte, a top-performing advertising executive in her division who was based in Madrid, according to the complaint filed Tuesday.That evening, the group attended an Amazon-hosted open bar event and continued the gathering at karaoke bars – all paid for by Amazon, according to the suit filed in state court in Seattle. Early in the evening, Danbom and Simonte, who continues to work for Amazon at its Madrid offices, “flirted,” “joked” and “got along,” according to the complaint.
At the end of the night, Simonte “kissed her,” and “persuaded Laura” to let him accompany her to her hotel room, the complaint said.Danborn was staying at the Hyatt Place at 140 W.24th St.
in Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood, according to a representative for the plaintiff.It was there that things took a wrong turn, the suit said.“In Laura’s hotel room, during the early morning hours, Simonte raped her,” the complaint alleged.
“Before the rape started, she said no.During the rape, Laura asked him: ‘you realize this is,’ and Simonte finished her sentence saying ‘rape? Yes.’ He ignored her protests.
He raped her.”The next day, she reported the incident to the New York Police Department, handing the officers a ...