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It’s been seven weeks since former Mike Isabella Concepts employee Chloe Caras brought the initial lawsuit against restaurateur Mike Isabella for “extraordinary” sexual harassment. The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, described a long list of offenses including unwelcome touching, sexual advances, vulgar and explicitly sexual remarks and gestures, sexist insults and texts, and the dissemination of malicious and false rumors about her sexual history and activities.
On April 3, Caras refiled the lawsuit in federal court, hoping that a judge would nullify non-disclosure agreements her colleagues signed as employees of Mike Isabella Concepts. Some argue the agreements are too broad and come with too hefty a penalty— $500,000 for each breach of information—and have been used to silence others who may want to come forward.
Isabella has repeatedly denied Caras’ claims and the sentiment that Mike Isabella Concepts has a toxic work culture where sexual harassment is prevalent. But the pair aren’t going to trial. Caras and Isabella have decided to settle. A lawyer representing several Mike Isabella Concepts partners, Demetry Pikrallidas, issued a joint-statement this morning: