An Oakland County jury on Tuesday delivered a $106 million verdict against a Birmingham-based health and beauty business after six women who worked there sued, claiming the owner subjected them to frequent verbal and physical sexual advances including thrusting his hips into a massage table, making inappropriate remarks about his family members and using the company’s LinkedIn account to solicit European prostitutes.
The women, each named Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed in June 2024 in Oakland County Circuit Court, worked at Science Beauty Tech for owner Gary Raykhinshteyn between 2021 and 2023. Some were as young as 19 when they were hired, said Todd Flood, managing partner at Flood Law, who represented five of the plaintiffs.
“What these women had to endure in the workplace was nothing short of horrific,” Flood said. “Let this be a lesson for all those who abuse their position of power – you will be held accountable.”
Raykhinshteyn called the jury’s decision “completely insane” and said the allegations were lies.
“This is just unheard of,” he said of the $106 million verdict. “These women are telling the judge I put a gun to their head and asked them to rub my penis? There is no proof.”
Among the numerous allegations against Raykhinshteyn in the complaint, none involved a firearm.
Propositions on social media
While working as an office assistant, Jane Doe 1 discovered a message sent by Raykhinshteyn on the company’s Instagram page in which he claimed he would offer to let her perform fellatio on the recipient of the message, “but he couldn’t because the third party did not have any money,” according to the complaint.
Two of the women alleged that Raykhinshteyn would also use the company Instagram account to request nude photographs from other women and the company’s LinkedIn account to book appointments with prostitutes in Europe.
In a separate incident, Jane Doe 4, who worked as an office manager at SBT, said Raykhinshteyn brought her along with him to Florida for a business conference sometime while she worked there between November 2021 and March 2022. When they arrived, she alleged, she learned that he had only booked one room and that only he would be attending the conference, while she was to wait in the room.
During the trip he repeatedly requested sex from her and asked her to watch him masturbate. She said that at one point he wrapped himself around her, releasing her only after she repeatedly pleaded for him to stop.
Each of the plaintiffs said Raykhinshteyn had touched them either on the shoulders, back or buttocks and made inappropriate comments toward them.
Jane Doe 6, who only worked at SBT from January to February in 2023, said Raykhinshteyn requested she give him a massage using a specialty device used to promote blood circulation, lymphatic drainage and reduction of cellulite and wrinkles in patients. During the massage, she alleged, Raykhinshteyn moaned and appeared to have an erection while he was lying on his back and when he rolled onto his stomach he thrusted his hips into the table.
Two of the women said Raykhinshteyn prodded them to profess their attraction to him and, when they declined, he responded by insulting their intelligence, appearance and weight, according to the complaint.
The plaintiffs also said their boss made comments about their wardrobes, telling some of them to wear more revealing attire at work or for business meetings, and telling one not to wear leggings to work because he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
During a text exchange with two of the plaintiffs, Raykhinshteyn referred to potential hires as “victims,” the suit alleged.
The business owner also was accused of making inappropriate remarks regarding his family members. Jane Doe 6 said Raykhinshteyn told her that when his daughter gets married, her husband can have sex with her against her will because it’s not rape if the two are married. He also allegedly told her that when he has sex with his wife, sometimes she just “lays there” and “takes it like a good wife.”
Retaliation alleged
The woman said Raykhinshteyn retaliated against them after they refused his advances by making disparaging comments, revoking their free parking or failing to pay them once they quit for work already completed.
Flood said the jury found in favor of the women based on findings of employment discrimination, hostile work environment, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Testifying in open court and confronting their former employer required immense bravery, as they had to relive the trauma that marred what should have been an exciting start to their professional careers,” Flood Law said in a press release. “Collectively, they hope to prevent Mr. Raykhinshteyn from causing further harm to young women while empowering those in similar situations to find their voices.”
Raykhinshteyn said he plans to appeal the decision and will consider filing a malpractice suit against his attorney, Jonahtan M. Jones.
Jones did not return a call seeking comment.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
