New Lawsuit Accuses Silicon Valley VC of Groping Young Entrepreneur on Red-Eye Flight
Rachel Danae Vachata alleges that Lucio Lanza assaulted her while bragging about his ability to "make or break" her career.
February 14, 2018 at 06:49 PM
3 minute read
A lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses a Silicon Valley venture capitalist of sexually assaulting a 29-year-old entrepreneur during a red-eye flight while telling her that he had the power to “make or break” her career.
Rachel Danae Vachata, who recently made Forbes “30 Under 30 in Healthcare” list, alleges in the civil suit that Lanza techVentures managing director Lucio Lanza groped her right breast, attempted to kiss her, and put his hand in her crotch while on an overnight flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis in July 2017.
“Throughout the assault,” the 11-page complaint said, “defendant went on about his power in the industry in which Ms. Vachata works and how he has the capability to 'make or break' her career.” Vachata's suit said she attempted to block Lanza, putting her hand in his face while telling him “no” and “stop,” but that he didn't halt until another passenger approached them.
Lanza did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment in response to the allegations on Wednesday afternoon.
“Exposing sexual harassment and assault is vital. It is real, and it is persistent. Victims did not create the problem, but we will be part of the solution,” Vachata said in a statement released by her attorneys. “We can't be afraid to stand up for ourselves and others—safety is a basic human right.”
The suit was filed in Santa Clara Superior Court by attorneys David Lowe and Michelle Lee of Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe. The firm also represented Ellen Pao in her high-profile discrimination case against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
“What happened to Danae fits a shocking pattern of Silicon Valley elites using their power and influence to exploit and denigrate women. Thanks to the courage of people like Danae Vachata, their days of getting away with it are over,” Lowe said in a statement.
The complaint comes amid the #MeToo movement, a wider backlash by women who have suffered abuses by men in power. It also comes during a sort of reckoning for what has long been perceived as a “boys' club” culture in Silicon Valley, with a number of sexual harassment scandals now ensnaring VCs and major figures in tech.
In her complaint, Vachata alleges that Lanza appeared drunk while he assaulted her, and that she was “humiliated and horrified” by his conduct. She said that she reported Lanza's actions to airline crew and to law enforcement.
The complaint includes causes of action for sexual battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeks an unspecified amount of damages.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllContract Software Unicorn Ironclad Hires Former Pinterest Lawyer as GC
2 minute readSouthern California Law Firms Boast Industry-Leading Revenue, Demand Through Q3
Dog Gone It, Target: Provider of Retailer's Mascot Dog Sues Over Contract Cancellation
4 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Gibson Dunn Sued By Crypto Client After Lateral Hire Causes Conflict of Interest
- 2Trump's Solicitor General Expected to 'Flip' Prelogar's Positions at Supreme Court
- 3Pharmacy Lawyers See Promise in NY Regulator's Curbs on PBM Industry
- 4Outgoing USPTO Director Kathi Vidal: ‘We All Want the Country to Be in a Better Place’
- 5Supreme Court Will Review Constitutionality Of FCC's Universal Service Fund
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250