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Nobu Malibu faces sexual harassment lawsuit

Nobu Malibu faces legal action from two former employees
Nobu Malibu faces legal action from two former employees 01:40

Two former Nobu Malibu employees filed a pair of sexual harassment lawsuits against the high-end restaurant. They claim they were told to dress in skimpy outfits and had to ward off unwanted sexual advances from managers and patrons. 

"It's a frustrating irony that Nobu caters to a Hollywood client list that routinely rallies against and cancels contemporaries who exhibit the same kind of misogynistic and exploitative behavior that Nobu's managers seem to encourage," said the victim's attorney, Bernard Alexander.

One of the hostesses who filed a suit claimed that her manager repeatedly touched her "buttocks" while the pair were working. She also alleged that the manager restrained both her hands and kissed her neck after drinking. While the restaurant fired the manager following multiple complaints, he was allowed to return as a customer. 

The lawsuit also alleged that Nobi Malibu managers provided "favorable treatment to the women who provide them with sexual favors." The hostesses' legal team claimed these "sexual favors" happened on the premises, before and after work hours. 

"The plaintiff and other young female hostesses endure outright sexual advances and abuse for the sake of maintaining Nobu's glamourous reputation and keeping their jobs," Alexander said.  

Both women demanded $500,000 in each of their lawsuits. 

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