A CUNY senior director accused of exposing himself and groping a subordinate after an office happy hour has denied the allegations through a brief phone statement.
Krafins Valcin, the senior director of academic collaboration technology, told a reporter who reached him by phone that he was “shocked” by the lawsuit. He denied groping the woman but declined to comment further.
The 34-year-old IT senior associate filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Sept. 29, court records show. She had worked alongside Valcin for roughly six months at the City University of New York without incident before the alleged assault on Dec. 2.
The woman, whose name is being withheld, agreed to carpool with him from a Manhattan happy hour because both live in New Jersey. She stated in court papers that she had felt comfortable enough to accept the ride given their prior working relationship.
That comfort dissolved as they walked toward his car, she alleged. Valcin abruptly grabbed her fingers and said, “I can tell you have a fat p—y,” according to the lawsuit.
She was “utterly shocked” by the comment and made clear she had no interest in him, court papers state. The rejection did not deter further advances, she claimed.
Valcin allegedly made countless innuendos during the drive and rubbed her thigh “toward her genitals.” He drove her to her own vehicle, parked at a Newark train station, then positioned his car in front of hers to block her departure.
The woman was seated in her driver’s seat when Valcin approached, swung open her door and forced her hand over his erect penis, she alleged. He told her, “This is what you do to me.” After she freed her hand, he dropped his pants to expose his genitals, the lawsuit claims.
Terrified, she reported the incident to Newark police. A source familiar with the situation said the case was dropped for lack of video evidence.
Valcin allegedly contacted her afterward to beg for forgiveness and claimed he had “more to lose” than she did.
She suffered panic attacks in the office and reached out to CUNY’s Title IX office in January. Officials issued a no-contact order between Valcin and her in February, according to her account, but he kept his position.
The woman has not returned to the office since, working from home instead.
Her attorney, Gerald Cohen, addressed CUNY’s handling of the complaint directly. “The worst part is that after being subjected to her co-worker’s inappropriate and degrading sexual advances, CUNY did nothing to reprimand or alter the perpetrator’s employment. Rather than ensuring a safe work environment for the plaintiff, CUNY actually placed the burden on her to adjust her entire workplace to avoid him,” he said.
A CUNY spokesperson issued a statement on the pending litigation. “CUNY takes allegations of sexual assault and harassment seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. Because this is a pending legal matter, we cannot comment further,” the spokesperson said.
The lawsuit remains active in Manhattan Supreme Court with no hearing date immediately scheduled.