Facts

Plaintiff Eftehea Leontaritis worked as a hostess at Taverna Tony, a popular eatery in Malibu. She filed a claim against the restaurant's owner, Tony Koursais, for sexual harassment and assault.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Plaintiff alleged repeated acts of sexual harassment over a nine-month period, from 2002 until 2003. Plaintiff alleged that defendant would rub up against her while she worked. She claimed that she repeatedly refused defendant's advances and tried to avoid him as much as possible. Despite the fact that she relied on this job for her livelihood, she began cutting back the number of hours she worked as well. In March 2003, she claimed that defendant called her into his office on the pretext of looking at pictures of his house on-line. According to her, after she entered, she claimed that he closed the door, unbuttoned his pants, put her hand on his crotch and forced her to masturbate him. She begged him to stop, but he grabbed her, ripped her clothes, and forced himself against her. She eventually fled from the room and told defendant that she would never work for him again.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
Defendant denied plaintiff's allegations and emphasized that it was just her word against his as to what had transpired.

Damages

Plaintiff sought recovery for her emotional distress and punitive damages.

Result

Plaintiff was awarded $4 million, of that $1.8 million was for her distress and $2.2 million was in punitive damages.