Federico Pignatelli, the wealthy owner of the Pier 59 photography studio, has been cleared of allegations of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination made by a former employee.
Maryam Sayigh sued Pignatelli for $1 million in 2010 claiming he asked for sex, admitting she slept with him twice because he promised he “would make her the face of the company.”
On Wednesday, an American Arbitration Association mediator rejected Sayigh’s charges, saying he could “not conclude that Ms. Sayigh is a victim of sexual harassment or that her testimony should be fully credited.”
Pignatelli tells us he believes a rival studio supported Sayigh to generate negative publicity against him.
While he refused to name the competitor, Pignatelli in 2011 had sued Mazdack Rassi at Milk Studios, claiming he “willfully and maliciously induced” an ex-employee to “file a frivolous . . . lawsuit.”
A Milk rep described Pignatelli’s suit at the time as “totally baseless.”