A Long Island man leveled a startling $100 million sex discrimination lawsuit against his former program director and their employer, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, claiming he was forced into years of sexual encounters in a Queens opioid treatment center, all while facing threats of termination.
The former employee, Kian Cooper, alleged his former boss, Michele Poole, attempted to rationalize their non-professional relationship by invoking the example of beloved former First Couple: Barack and Michelle Obama.
According to the Brooklyn Supreme Court complaint filed Nov. 17, Poole, a program director, allegedly compelled Cooper to engage in sexual relations, often in her office, and used his employment security as leverage to maintain the rendezvous.
Cooper contends he explicitly asked Poole to stop the activity more than 100 times, face-to-face and via text messages. Poole’s alleged response to his attempts to end the relationship was, at times, bizarrely political.
“Barack met Michelle at work. She was his boss. Be presidential. I think the next text [from you] should be saying Thank you,” Poole allegedly wrote to Cooper in one text exchange included in the lawsuit.
She also reportedly texted him, “I’m sooo undervalued. You know, even a Mercedes needs a tune-up sometimes.”
The lawsuit further alleges that the sexual activity was so flagrant that other employees knew what transpired behind closed office doors due to “the loud noises relative to sexual activities.”
Job Security and Threats
Cooper, who has two Master’s degrees in social work and urban affairs, claimed he was desperate to keep his job due to a past drug conviction that left him vulnerable to Poole’s alleged demands, which began in 2022. When he attempted to refuse, Poole allegedly told him to “Find another job.”
The sexual relationship allegedly began after Poole sent him an anonymous fruit basket, escalating into a demand for sexual relations that included a date at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown. The $100 million lawsuit also claimed the sustained stress led him to take two medical leaves and has since resulted in a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
After he formally complained in February 2024, Poole allegedly told Cooper, “The sh-t you pulled was extremely foul. You hung me out to dry.”
Poole adamantly denied the allegations to The Post, insisting their six-month relationship was entirely mutual. She claimed Cooper showered her with gifts and romantic cards and refuted the claim that she held hiring or firing authority over him.
“He’s just making stuff up,” Poole told The Post. “I have proof of the intimate things he sent me.”
Poole also threatened legal action, adding, “I have credible evidence, and I will be filing a lawsuit against anyone who slanders me.”
She denied any sex took place in the office, noting her secretary was present, and the facility was fully staffed by 6 a.m.
Poole is no longer employed at Saint Joseph’s, though the circumstances of her departure remain unclear. Cooper’s lawyers, JoAnn Squillace and Stephen Drummond, stressed that men are equally susceptible to sexual harassment as women. Saint Joseph’s has not returned requests for comment. Poole and Cooper are both Black.
RELATED CONTENT: Ray J Arrested On Criminal Threat Charge After Alleged Gun Incident Caught On Live Video
