Claim of Sexual Coercion at Queens Rehab Facility

A man from Long Island alleges he was coerced into intimate encounters for years while working at a drug rehabilitation center in Queens, where his supervisor was a woman who reportedly tried to rationalize their relationship by referencing former President Obama.

According to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, Michelle Poole, a program director at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, told Kian Cooper, her subordinate, “Barack met Michelle at work. She was his boss. Be president…I think that’s the next message.” Cooper has initiated a $100 million lawsuit claiming that everyone was aware of the sexual activities happening in Poole’s office due to the “loud noises” that often emanated from it.

He asserts that every time he attempted to halt these inappropriate meetings, she threatened him with termination.

“I asked her to stop multiple times, over a hundred times directly, and around 12 to 14 times through text,” he said.

Poole allegedly responded, “Please find another job.”

In contrast, Poole denied the allegations, insisting their six-month relationship was consensual and that Cooper had given her numerous gifts. She claimed not to have the power to hire or fire him.

“He’s just making things up,” she stated, adding, “I have proof of the intimate content he sent me.” She also threatened legal action against anyone who might defame her.

Cooper has also claimed that Poole was involved with another employee, an allegation she denied.

Cooper’s court filings assert that their sexual encounters typically occurred two or three times a week in her fourth-floor office, often around the time her work calls began at 6 a.m.

Eventually, he remarked that he would do nearly anything to avoid her, thinking, “How can I leave this office without feeling guilty?”

“I basically just put up with the abuse to keep my job,” said the 50-year-old, who still serves as a clinical supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

His attorney mentioned that Poole is no longer with St. Joseph’s, although it remains unclear if she resigned or was terminated.

Cooper, who had a past drug conviction that made him anxious about job security, claims Poole was already involved with another employee when she began at St. Joseph’s Opioid Treatment Center in 2019.

In 2022, Poole reportedly sent him anonymous fruit baskets before pursuing a sexual relationship, which allegedly started with a date at a hotel in Midtown.

Cooper, who has since been diagnosed with PTSD, indicated that he had taken two leave-of-absence requests due to work-related stress and anxiety.

After filing a complaint in February 2024, he alleges Poole told him, “What you did was very dirty. You hung me out to dry.”

His lawyers emphasized that men can be victims of sexual harassment just like women.

Poole defended herself, asserting that she provided fruit baskets to all staff for their birthdays and denied any sexual activities taking place in the office, saying, “By 6 a.m., all staff were present, including the secretary. I never did anything to hurt him.”

St. Joseph’s University has not responded to requests for comment.