Sexual Harassment Lawsuit: Kruzelnick vs. Napolitano
Sexual Harassment Lawsuit: Kruzelnick vs. Napolitano
-against- COMPLAINT
Defendant.
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brings this action against defendant ANDREW NAPOLITANO, alleging, on personal knowledge
JURY DEMAND
2. This Court has personal jurisdiction over the Defendant in that on the date of the
incidents described herein, defendant owned real property in the State of New Jersey, committed
the unlawful acts alleged herein at said property, and is subject to the Court’s Jurisdiction.
3. This Court has jurisdiction over this action because the amount of damages Plaintiff
seeks exceeds the jurisdictional limits of all lower courts which would otherwise have jurisdiction.
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4. Venue for this action is proper in the County of Sussex, pursuant to R. 4:3-2 in that
venue is properly laid in the county in which the cause of action arose.
enacted on May 13, 2019, and went into effect on December 1, 2019. Plaintiff alleges that the
suffering physical, psychological or other injuries or conditions as a direct and proximate result of
conduct which constitutes a sexual offense committed against his person, as defined in Section 1
of P.L. 1992, c. 109, as amended on May 13, 2019. This action, moreover, has not been filed until
6. Under P.L. 2019c.120 (C.A:14-2a et al.), the statute of limitations is also extended
PARTIES
New Jersey.
8. At all relevant times, Plaintiff was employed as a waiter at the Mohawk House, a
in the State of New Jersey, a former Superior Court judge, and a Senior Judicial Analyst on Fox
News.
10. At all times hereinafter, Defendant NAPOLITANO was a frequent weekend patron
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STATEMENT OF FACTS
11. Plaintiff James Kruzelnick began working as a waiter at the Mohawk House in
2005.
12. Beginning in 2014, defendant Napolitano began to frequent the Mohawk House on
Saturday nights.
13. Over time, Napolitano developed a strong attraction for Plaintiff, and would
14. Plaintiff continued to treat Napolitano as just another customer, and did not pay
15. This did not deter Napolitano. He was infatuated with Plaintiff and wanted
16. On one Saturday night in December 2014, Defendant Napolitano followed Plaintiff
into the bathroom at the Mohawk House, and stood right behind him.
17. Suddenly, and without any warning, defendant Napolitano started to grope Plaintiff
18. Defendant Napolitano grabbed Plaintiff’s buttocks, and told him that “you are just
so hot.”
19. Plaintiff was shocked by Napolitano’s actions, as the two men did not know each
other and had never been together outside of the restaurant prior to that night.
20. Plaintiff immediately pushed defendant Napolitano off of him, and told him that he
shouldn’t do things like that in a public place, and that he shouldn’t touch him like that again.
21. Plaintiff had no interest in Napolitano, who was 20 years older than him, and who
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22. Plaintiff felt that Napolitano was a brilliant man and he enjoyed speaking with him
at the restaurant, but he did not want anything more than that to develop between them.
23. Napolitano would not be deterred. After this unwanted groping, Napolitano’s
24. Every time Napolitano came to the restaurant, he would specifically ask for Plaintiff
to be his waiter.
25. Napolitano was friends with the owner of Mohawk House, Steven Scro, who
26. Plaintiff was very uncomfortable with this arrangement but felt that he had no say
27. Thereafter, whenever Napolitano was in the restaurant, he would pay special
attention to Plaintiff and engage him in conversation, making it clear that he was interested in
28. In January 2015, Napolitano started making sexually explicit remarks to Plaintiff.
He started telling Plaintiff things that he would like to do to Plaintiff sexually, and started to ask
29. Plaintiff was very uncomfortable with these sexual remarks. While Plaintiff looked
up to Napolitano and saw hm as a very powerful and accomplished man, he did not want to engage
30. Over the next nine months, Napolitano continued to visit the Mohawk House on
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31. Napolitano continued to make sexually suggestive and inappropriate remarks, but
he seemed to understand that Plaintiff was not interested in any sexual relationship but rather just
wanted to be friends.
32. As long as Napolitano respected these boundaries, Plaintiff was okay with their
friendship and genuinely enjoyed their conversations at the restaurant about life, politics and world
events.
Napolitano Invites Plaintiff to His House and Forces Him to Engage Him in a Bizarre Sexual
Act
Napolitano’s house.
34. Plaintiff had mixed feelings about Napolitano’s invitation. On the one hand,
Plaintiff was genuinely flattered by the fact that Napolitano, a famous television personality, was
interested in spending time with him. On the other hand, Napolitano was much older and was a
regular patron of the restaurant, so Plaintiff believed it would not be a good idea to be anything
35. Notwithstanding his reservations, Plaintiff believed that he could control the
situation and set proper boundaries with Napolitano, so decided to go over to his house, as he
genuinely enjoyed having conversations with Napolitano. Plaintiff arrived at Napolitano’s house
36. Defendant Napolitano was gracious at first, offering Plaintiff a drink, and making
37. While defendant Napolitano was fixing a drink, Plaintiff went to the living room
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38. Up to this point, there had been nothing sexual about this encounter at all. The talk
between them had been casual banter, and there had been no suggestion that Napolitano was about
39. As defendant Napolitano entered the living room, Plaintiff observed that
Napolitano’s pants were down, and his penis was fully erect and exposed.
40. Plaintiff was truly shocked by Napolitano’s conduct, and didn’t know how to react.
41. Before Plaintiff could say anything, Napolitano said “I am really into certain
42. Thereafter, defendant Napolitano walked up to Plaintiff’s chair, and suddenly threw
43. Napolitano then told Plaintiff that “I want you to start slapping me really hard.”
44. Before Plaintiff could say anything in response, defendant Andrew Napolitano then
demanded that James Kruzelnick spank his exposed buttocks while Napolitano masturbated on his
lap.
45. Plaintiff was repelled by Napolitano’s request and had no interest in playing this
bizarre “sex game.” But when Plaintiff told Napolitano that he did not want to spank him,
46. James Kruzelnick began spanking Andrew Napolitano on his buttocks while
Napolitano masturbated.
47. Napolitano then demanded that James Kruzelnick call him “son” while Plaintiff
48. Thereafter, Andrew Napolitano ejaculated onto one of Plaintiff James Kruzelnick’s
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49. Plaintiff was angry and upset about what Napolitano had done. Plaintiff felt like
Napolitano had used him for his own gratification and forced him to play some type of bizarre sex
game that he had no interest in playing. Plaintiff quickly got up and left Napolitano’s house.
restaurant on weekends.
52. Napolitano never mentioned what had happened between them on September 6,
53. Plaintiff felt extremely uncomfortable whenever Napolitano came to the restaurant
but was truly afraid of losing his job if he confronted Napolitano or angered him in any way, so he
also did not bring up the September 6th incident and instead, did his best to stroke Napolitano’s
54. Throughout the fall of 2015, Napolitano’s infatuation with Plaintiff only
intensified.
55. During this time period, Napolitano would repeatedly tell Plaintiff things like: “I
am crazy about you, Jake,”1, “I am thinking about you,” and I would love to see you soon.”
56. Plaintiff did not know how to respond when Napolitano would say such things.
Plaintiff did not have any romantic feelings or sexual interest in Napolitano at all, and he wasn’t
57. Plaintiff tried ignoring Napolitano and then dropping subtle clues to Napolitano
that he wasn’t interested in him, but Napolitano never seemed to get the hint.
1
“Jake” was Plaintiff’s nickname and how his co-workers and friends referred to him.
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Napolitano Offers to Help Plaintiff with His Legal Troubles in Exchange for Sex
59. After pursuing Plaintiff for several months, Napolitano finally found an opening to
60. At that time, Plaintiff was experiencing severe discrimination at the restaurant
based on his sexual orientation. The restaurant’s owner, Steven Scro, would repeatedly make cruel
and grossly improper remarks, and would openly call him “faggot” and “gay boy” in front of other
employees.
61. Plaintiff was extremely upset and angry over how he was treated by Scro and the
management at Mohawk House. He wanted to know what his legal rights were and decided to ask
Napolitano.
exploit him, began boasting about all of the powerful and influential connections that he had.
63. Napolitano said to Plaintiff: “Do you know who I am?” “Do you know how many
people I know?”
64. Napolitano further boasted: “I have fixed cases, and I have gotten people off. I
65. Plaintiff believed everything that Napolitano said. He needed Napolitano’s help,
and he had nowhere else to turn. But it also concerned Plaintiff that Napolitano displayed a “Jekyll
and Hyde” persona. At times he could be cordial, almost charming, but at other times, he seemed
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Napolitano Lures Plaintiff to His House to Offer “Legal Advice,” But Then Forces Him to
Engage in another Bizarre Sexual Act
66. Napolitano suggested that Plaintiff come to his house to discuss his legal situation,
telling Plaintiff that it wouldn’t be good idea to speak about his legal claims against the Mohawk
67. Feeling that he had little to say in the matter, Plaintiff reluctantly agreed. He needed
Napolitano’s help and did not want to risk offending him by refusing to come to Defendant’s
house.
68. While the two had never spoken about the September 6, 2015 incident, enough time
had passed since then (almost 3 months) to make Plaintiff believe that Napolitano had “gotten the
message” that Plaintiff was not, in fact, interested in any type of sexual or romantic relationship
with him, and that Napolitano would comport himself accordingly. Plaintiff was mistaken as to
this belief.
69. When Plaintiff arrived at Napolitano’s house on or about November 28, 2015, they
began engaging in a casual conversation. Napolitano then offered Plaintiff a drink from his high-
70. After a short period of time, Plaintiff steered the conversation to his legal matter,
which was the reason why he had come to Napolitano’s house in the first place.
71. Napolitano promised to help him, but this time Napolitano added a caveat: Plaintiff
would need to do certain things for Napolitano as well. Specifically, Napolitano told Plaintiff “If
you do things for me, I’ll do things for you.” Plaintiff immediately understood what Napolitano
meant.
72. Napolitano then started taking off his pants and exposed his erect penis. He made
it clear that he wanted to again play the same spanking “game” that the two had played back in
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September: Napolitano lied down on Plaintiff’s lap and told Plaintiff to hit him harder and harder,
73. Plaintiff was disgusted and repelled by the prospect of playing this sex “game”
again. Plaintiff was not attracted to Napolitano -- who, again, was 20 years older than Plaintiff --
and did not get any pleasure whatsoever out of spanking Napolitano. Plaintiff was simply not into
74. Still, Plaintiff felt like he could not risk telling Napolitano “No.” He feared not
only that Napolitano would withdraw his offer for help, but also, that he would tell Steve Scro, his
boss, that Plaintiff had gone to Napolitano to get legal advice for the discrimination he was
experiencing at Mohawk House, which could cost him his job. The risk seemed too high to
Napolitano Gains Further Control Over Plaintiff When He Agrees to Help Plaintiff’s
Brother with his Criminal Case, in Exchange for Plaintiff’s “Cooperation”
75. After the November 28, 2015 incident, Napolitano realized that he could extract
sexual favors from Plaintiff by helping him out with his legal problems.
76. In June 2016, Plaintiff again came to Napolitano, asking if he could refer him to an
attorney because the discrimination at work had escalated, as well as for help regarding his
regarding his younger brother Dallas’ criminal case. Napolitano was only too happy to oblige.
77. Napolitano again told Plaintiff that he had “fixed cases” before and had helped a
lot of people out of legal trouble, and that he could certainly do so for his brother.
78. To make his offer of help seem even more “real,” Napolitano agreed to meet
79. On or about June 24, 2016, Napolitano invited Plaintiff out to dinner at a restaurant
2
“BDSM” refers to “Bondage, Discipline, Sadism and Masochism.”
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called Casa Bellisima in Andover, New Jersey. Napolitano told Plaintiff that before they went out
to dinner, he would meet with Plaintiff’s brother, Dallas, and learn more about his case.
80. The meeting took place as planned, and the three of them met inside of Plaintiff’s
81. Dallas recognized Judge Napolitano from TV, and felt extremely lucky to have
such a powerful and influential person helping him out behind the scenes.
82. During this meeting, Napolitano spoke directly with Dallas, and promised him that
he would do everything in his power to help him, but only “if your brother gives me his full
cooperation.”
83. From his prior experiences with Napolitano, Plaintiff understood exactly what
Napolitano meant by “cooperation.” Plaintiff would have to continue perform sexual favors for
84. As his brother’s criminal case continued over the next year, Napolitano extracted
his end of the “bargain” multiple times, getting Plaintiff to perform sexual acts for him that were
85. Throughout this period, Plaintiff felt completely trapped. He needed Napolitano’s
help for his brother. Plaintiff couldn’t bear the thought of his brother going away to prison for a
long time, especially since his brother had just become a father for the first time, and this baby boy
86. While Plaintiff felt humiliated, degraded and abused by Napolitano, he also felt that
he was powerless to stop the abuse. If he refused to do what Napolitano wanted him to do, then
Napolitano would refuse to help out his brother, and Dallas would go to jail. So in Plaintiff’s mind,
he had only one choice: he needed to do anything and everything that Napolitano wanted in order
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87. From the spring of 2016 through the summer of 2017, Napolitano continued to exert
severe psychological domination and control over Plaintiff, dangling offers of help for Plaintiff
with his legal problems -- while also making veiled threats of what he would do if someone
88. On one such occasion, Napolitano had come to the Mohawk House with a young
man, who appeared to be to be in his twenties, and whom Defendant identified as an “intern from
Fox News.”
89. This was not the first time that Napolitano had brought a young man from Fox
News to the Mohawk House for dinner. But it was the first time that Napolitano had actually
introduced the young man to Plaintiff, and had made plans with Plaintiff that involved an intern
90. Specifically, that evening Napolitano invited Plaintiff and the Fox News intern back
to his home. Shortly after arriving at Napolitano’s home, Plaintiff was given a drink and within
ten to fifteen minutes of consuming the beverage, Plaintiff felt extremely woozy as if he had been
drugged. He woke up hours later in Napolitano’s bed, with blurred memories of engaging in a
91. The last and final encounter between Napolitano and Plaintiff took place on or
92. On that date, Plaintiff again was invited to Napolitano’s farm, this time go
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94. Plaintiff did as Napolitano had instructed him, and headed upstairs to change.
95. While in the process of changing, in fact while his pants were around his ankles,
96. Plaintiff James Kruzelnick told Napolitano to get off of him; Napolitano did not
listen.
98. Plaintiff Kruzelnick tried to escape, but as he attempted to run, he tripped as his
99. Thereafter, defendant Napolitano tried to forcibly sodomize Plaintiff by forcing his
100. Plaintiff shut his mouth and refused to perform oral sex on defendant Andrew
Napolitano.
101. Plaintiff continued to resist, attempting to kick defendant Napolitano off of him,
102. Eventually, defendant Napolitano acquiesced, and removed his hands from James
Kruzelnick.
103. Plaintiff immediately got dressed, and left Napolitano’s house. Plaintiff never saw
Napolitano again.
Plaintiff is Left Visibly Shaken and Emotionally Devastated by Napolitano’s Rape Attempt,
as Several Close Family Members and Co-workers Confirm.
105. Following the attack, Plaintiff told several people about Napolitano’s attempted
rape. But even without Plaintiff saying a word, the people closest to him, including his family and
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106. After Napolitano’s attack, Plaintiff’s demeanor underwent a sudden and drastic
change. Whereas before, Plaintiff was affable, friendly and outgoing, he suddenly became
severely depressed and withdrawn. He would start crying for no apparent reason.
107. The situation got so bad that one of his co-workers felt the need to ask him what
was wrong.
108. James’ co-worker had noticed that whenever “the Judge” -- as he was known to
staff members -- came to the restaurant, Plaintiff became extremely fearful, nervous and agitated.
Plaintiff’s co-worker also noticed that Plaintiff made every effort to avoid going to the Judge’s
109. When James’ co-worker asked him what was wrong, Plaintiff told his co-worker
that something very bad had happened. He explained that the Judge had been “stalking” him for a
while, and that if he told the truth about what the Judge had done to him, “no one would believe
110. Plaintiff’s fragile emotional state left a very strong impression on this co-worker.
After speaking with Plaintiff, his co-worker was convinced that “something very bad had
happened” and that whatever had happened, it had left Plaintiff “extremely fearful and clearly
traumatized.”
111. As a direct result of Defendant’s conduct described herein, Plaintiff has suffered,
and will continue to suffer great pain of mind and body, severe and permanent emotional distress,
and physical manifestations of emotional distress. Plaintiff has been prevented from obtaining the
full enjoyment of life; has incurred and will continue to incur expenses for medical and
psychological treatment, therapy, and counseling; and has incurred and will continue to incur loss
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112. Plaintiff JAMES KRUZELNICK repeats and realleges each and every allegation
113. Defendant ANDREW NAPOLITANO did sexually assault, sexually abuse, and/or
have sexual contact with Plaintiff in violation of the laws of the State of New Jersey.
114. By sexually assaulting, sexually abusing, and/or having sexual contact with
115. By sexually assaulting, sexually abusing, and/or having sexual contact with
116. As a direct result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff has suffered the injuries and
damages and for punitive damages, together with interest and costs.
118. Plaintiff repeats and realleges each and every allegation set forth above as if fully
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120. As a result of the foregoing, Plaintiff JAMES KRUZELNICK sustained, inter alia,
assault, battery, severe emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, physical pain and mental
121. Plaintiff repeats and realleges each and every allegation set forth above as if fully
manner.
KRUZELNICK .
124. As a result of the foregoing, Plaintiff JAMES KRUZELNICK sustained, inter alia,
assault, battery, severe emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, physical pain and mental
125. Plaintiff repeats and realleges each and every allegation set forth above as if fully
126. The aforementioned conduct was extreme and outrageous, and exceeded all
127. The aforementioned conduct was intentional and done for the sole purpose of
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suffered severe emotional distress, physical and mental injury, together with embarrassment,
129. Plaintiff repeats and realleges each and every allegation set forth above as if fully
Sexual Assault under 2C:14-2 (C)(1), in that defendant Napolitano committed the act of attempting
131. As a result of the foregoing, Plaintiff James Kruzelnick sustained, inter alia,
assault, battery, emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, physical pain and mental anguish,
C. Awarding costs and fees of this action, including attorneys’ fees to the extent
permitted by law;
E. Awarding such other and further relief as to this Court may seem just and proper.
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Respectfully submitted,
By : ___________________________
Diego O. Barros, Esq.
Attorneys for Plaintiff
110 East 59th Street, Suite 3200
New York, New York 10022
Tel. No. (212) 227-5700
Fax No.: (212) 656-1889
Email: diego@norinsberglaw.com
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Please check off each applicable category: Putative Class Action? NO Title 59? NO Consumer Fraud? NO
I certify that confidential personal identifiers have been redacted from documents now submitted to the
court, and will be redacted from all documents submitted in the future in accordance with Rule 1:38-7(b)