A bartender at the exclusive Soho House in Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit accusing her supervisor of drugging and sexually assaulting her. The legal action brings to light serious allegations against the prestigious members-only club.
The plaintiff, known in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges that her supervisor, Leonard Marcelo Vichique Maya, began assaulting her shortly after she began her employment at the club’s restaurant, Berenjak, in September 2025. These allegations were detailed in a complaint obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit claims that Doe was subjected to frequent unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate physical contact by Vichique Maya. She also alleges that he suggested she become his “hook-up buddy,” made numerous inappropriate comments about her appearance, and remarked that had they met earlier, she “would be pregnant by now,” according to the complaint.
These inappropriate comments were allegedly made in front of other supervisors and colleagues, creating a hostile work environment, Doe asserts in her lawsuit.
Furthermore, Doe accuses Soho House of neglecting to take any corrective or investigative action after she reported Vichique Maya’s alleged misconduct to two male supervisors. The complaint suggests a failure on the part of the club to address serious allegations of workplace harassment.
Doe further accused Soho House of failing to take ‘corrective or investigatory action,’ despite her having reported Vichique Maya’s alleged misconduct to two male supervisors.
The club launched an investigation into Doe’s allegations but ultimately determined the report of rape ‘was uncorroborated’ and therefore Vichique Maya ‘would not be disciplined,’ the complaint stated.
Doe claimed she was forced to quit her job in February and has now sued Vichique Maya, Soho House, Soho House Los Angeles and Soho Warehouse for sexual harassment, retaliation and other claims.
A bartender has filed lawsuit against Soho House and Soho Warehouse in Los Angeles after she was allegedly raped by her supervisor Leonard Marcelo Vichique Maya
Doe claims that Vichique Maya demonstrated a ‘pattern of harassing behavior and complaints,’ that began upon her hiring in September last year.
The alleged behavior escalated after a ‘team-bonding’ event that was held on September 13. She claimed she became disoriented after drinking alcohol, lost consciousness and woke up naked at Vichique Maya’s apartment.
She was ‘paralyzed and speechless’ as she was ‘condemned to simply watch in horror as [sic] MARCELO repeatedly raped her inanimate body,’ the lawsuit alleged.
Doe reported the alleged assault to her manager the following day.
She claimed the manager ‘confirmed’ that Vichique Maya ‘appeared to be preying’ on her at the event but said ‘these things happen between coworkers,’ according to the complaint.
Doe claimed that she told the manager she could not work with Vichique Maya, but her concerns were dismissed. She alleged, in her lawsuit, that the manager told her: ‘I have a restaurant to run; I can’t have it blow up on me.’
Doe and Vichique Maya continued to work alongside each other despite her having informed three managers of the alleged rape, the court filing said. She claimed her alleged attacker continued to sexually harass her during these shifts.
She filed a complaint with Soho House human resources in December and was assured that an investigation would be opened and ‘immediate corrective action’ taken, the suit stated.
Doe was placed on indefinite leave during the investigation while Vichique Maya was permitted to continue working.
The investigation concluded in January and determined that her allegations were not corroborated, her lawsuit alleged. She quit her job the following month.
The Daily Mail has approached Soho House and Doe’s attorney Nick Yasman for comment. Information about Vichique Maya’s lawyer was not immediately available.
Soho House has 48 houses across 19 countries. This is the interior of the club’s West Hollywood, California location
Soho House opened in 1995 in London as a networking destination for ‘creatives,’ but quickly became a favorite hangout for celebrities.
The club has since expanded globally and has 48 houses across 19 countries.
Membership at Soho House, priced at around $6,000 annually for global access, is thought to be a must-have for many of the world’s elite – yet the chain is known to be ‘highly selective’ about who it accepts as members.
The company last year announced it is going private in a $2.7 billion deal led by New York-based MCR Hotels.
A raft of existing shareholders, including Ron Burkle, Ivy Collection boss Richard Caring and founder Nick Jones, will retain their stakes in the company.
A-list actor-turned-tech investor Ashton Kutcher also invested in the club as part of the deal and has since joined the firm’s board of directors.
