Nobu Malibu hostess says De Niro-founded celeb hotspot makes women wear skimpy outfits, endure handsy patrons: lawsuit
The hostess at the Robert De Niro-founded Nobu Malibu – a favorite sushi lounge of Beyonce, the Kardashians and even embattled first son Hunter Biden – claims she was sexually assaulted in the restaurant, which allegedly forces female employees to put up with constant sexual harassment, according to a new lawsuit.
The hostess, identified as a 23-year-old Jane Doe, filed a $500,000 lawsuit Wednesday against the celebrity hotspot, which she said forces its female workforce to “dress in skimpy clothes and brush 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,” Doe’s attorney Bernard Alexander said in a statement.
Doe, an aspiring actress, said she was drawn to Nobu’s glamourous reputation in Hollywood, as stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper and Selena Gomez could be spotted on any given night.
The charm, however, quickly diluted when Doe found herself at the mercy of handsy customers, with the routine harassment coming to a boil when she was assaulted by a former manager identified only as Marcus, according to the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“[Marcus] “repeatedly touched her buttocks with his hand while she was working,” Alexander said. “On one occasion, the manager restrained both her hands and kissed her neck after he had been drinking.”
The former manager was also accused of getting the women’s phone numbers from Nobu’s employee directory and calling them for dates and sexual favors.
After Doe and other waitresses filed a complaint, Marcus was fired in 2022. However, he was allowed to return as a customer — where he continued to harass the female workers who complained about him, the lawsuit states.
Doe accuses the management of making her and her coworkers “endure outright sexual advances and abuse for the sake of maintaining Nobu’s glamourous reputation and keeping their jobs.”
The lawsuit added that the “harassing, nonconsensual, and was based on the Plaintiff’s gender,” as male employees allegedly had no such problems in the restaurant.
Doe is seeking $500,000 in damages over the allegations of sexual assault and battery, negligent hiring and supervision, employment discrimination based on gender, harassment, retaliation and other violations of the California state law.
Representatives for Nobu Malibu did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The Nobu chain was founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa as a joint venture with his loyal customer-turned-business partner Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper.
The business venture began in 1994, and as of 2023, there are 56 restaurants around the world with more set to open.
