PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Actress and model Alison McDaniel has accused The Preserve Sporting Club and Residences owner of repeatedly sexually harassing her and other female employees at the private resort in Richmond.

A long list of graphic allegations against The Preserve owner Paul Mihailides are contained in a 29-page lawsuit filed this week at U.S. District Court in Providence. McDaniel alleged she “became concerned with Mihailides’ behavior” on her first trip to the resort and she was sexually harassed throughout her employment there, which began in 2019.

“Mihailides subjected her to repeated sexual advances including attempts to kiss her on the mouth, requests for sexual favors, inappropriate touching, ogling with suggestive overtones, and verbal and physical harassment of a sexual nature, which were unwelcome and offensive to McDaniel,” attorney Mark Gagliardi wrote in the lawsuit.

The Preserve attorney Nicole Benjamin fired back at the allegations Thursday, saying they were confident a jury would reject the claims. She described sexual harassment in the workplace “unacceptable at any level and The Preserve holds all who work there in any capacity to a high standard.”

Benjamin said the company plans to file a countersuit against McDaniel, accusing her of stealing company property, computer crimes and interference of company relationships. Benjamin also said they hired an independent investigator to examine her conduct who “advised The Preserve to refer those claims to law enforcement.” (Benjamin said they are considering whether to refer the findings.)

“It was not until Ms. McDaniel refused to return The Preserve’s property that Ms. McDaniel made any allegation of harassment or discrimination,” Benjamin said, adding the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has already examined McDaniel’s claims separately and ultimately dismissed and closed the case. A commission spokesperson declined to comment.

The Allegations

McDaniel, who is seeking more than $3.3 million in damages and unpaid wages, provided in the lawsuit a detailed account of her time working at The Preserve, which is a high-end outdoor resort on hundreds of acres of land in the rural community of Richmond. The lawsuit was first reported by GoLocalProv.

McDaniel alleged Mihailides would regularly say inappropriate things and make unwanted sexual advances toward her and other female employees, even trying to grab them and kiss them. He would often talk about his extramarital affairs and refer McDaniel to guests as his “mistress,” “future ex-wife,” and “girlfriend,” according to the lawsuit.

In another example, McDaniel alleged Mihailides told her in October 2021 he was a “good lover,” and that if she “wasn’t such a prude, [her] life could get a lot better.” Meanwhile, McDaniel said she regularly would have to ask — and sometimes beg — to get paid for her work, which included serving as a company spokesperson and doing different types of marketing.

“As a result of McDaniel’s rebuffing Mihailides’s sexual advances, Mihailides refused to pay McDaniel the wages owned to her,” Gagliardi wrote in the lawsuit.

McDaniel also alleged Mihailides would “insist” on accompanying her to the cabin where she sometimes stayed over at the resort while working there. (The property has several multimillion-dollar homes, apartments and mini-homes members can rent and buy.) One morning, McDaniel alleged she was getting out of the shower and discovered Mihailides inside her cabin even though the door was locked.

“When McDaniel yelled at Mihailides asking what he was doing in her cabin, he stated that he
was just making sure that she was awake,” McDaniel alleged in the lawsuit, adding that the experience made her so distressed she “placed objects in front of the door to alert her in case Mihailides entered while she was showering or sleeping.”

In another example, McDaniel alleged she missed a July 4 celebration because of an illness, and Mihailides made a crude remark about her dying in a sexual manner.

“Mihailides’ sexual harassment of McDaniel was so severe and pervasive that she was forced to take anti-anxiety medication so she could interact with Mihailides,” Gagliardi wrote.

In addition to the alleged sexual harassment against McDaniel, the actress claims Mihailides made similar unwanted sexual advances toward other women who worked at the resort. In one example, McDaniel alleged one worker — who was a new mother — decided to complain about his behavior to her superiors. She was subsequently told to turn in her keys and was then offered several alternative positions she considered to be demotions, according to the lawsuit.

McDaniel said the woman ultimately decided the resort wasn’t going to do anything about her complaints, “so she resigned her employment,” according to the lawsuit. McDaniel alleged The Preserve didn’t have a human resources department and offered no procedure for reporting discrimination in the workplace.

“In fact, Mihailides would often joke: ‘I am the HR Department,'” according to the lawsuit. “Mihailides also joked: ‘You know what you get if you complain to HR? You get fired!'”

“Similar experiences”

McDaniel said in the lawsuit she quit because of the hostile working conditions in February 2022. A month later, McDaniel said she posted her experience at The Preserve on Instagram and received over a dozen comments and direct messages from followers who “had similar experiences” with Mihailides at The Preserve.

Many of the responses were contained in the lawsuit, including from one person who alleged Mihailides told her, “You’re so empathetic, I bet you’re amazing in bed.”

“That was one of the many horrifying and disgusting things he said to me,” she added.