Rosen Equities sues former CFO who alleges gender bias, hostile workplace

A family-led real estate investment group, Rosen Equities, is suing its former chief financial officer to prevent her from bringing a suit based on, “gender-based hostile work environment, retaliation, and disability discrimination,” and which seeks $25 million.

Even as the Rosen Equities suit seeks to block the filing of Melissa Lavin’s suit, it uploaded a purported draft version of her complaint as an exhibit, which details all of her allegations. She has not yet filed a suit, according to a review of court records.

Lavin, according to her LinkedIn page, has had a long career in financial management, including PWC, Cerberus Capital Management and most recently before Rosen Equities, 10 years at the family office Belfer Management.

Rosen Equities, led by David Koeppel and Jonathan Rosen, owns at least 30 building, mostly office in Midtown South, with 3.3 million square feet of space. It also owns a large portfolio of retail shopping centers on the east coast.

The Lavin complaint, according to the draft document, centers on Jonathan Rosen’s son Adam Rosen and his allegedly hostile interactions with Lavin, which the draft complaint describes in detail.

According to the Rosen Equities’ complaint, “In the event that an injunction is not issued and Respondent is permitted to file the Complaint she has threatened to do absent the payment of $25,000,000, Rosen Equities will suffer irreparable harm. Specifically, the reputation that Rosen Equities and the Rosen family have cultivated over the last 80 years will be tarnished, and their standing in the real estate industry and marketplace will suffer.”

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