Glamorous soap star who appeared in The Hunger Games files $3.3M lawsuit claiming married owner of ultra-exclusive Rhode Island country club was leering pest who told her he’d have sex with her CORPSE
- Alison McDaniel alleged in a disturbing lawsuit the owner of a ritzy Rhode Island country club threatened to rape her corpse
- The model and actress made a slew of vile allegations against Paul Mihailides, including inappropriate touching and lewd texts
- The resort is among the most opulent in the state and memberships run up to $300,000, and it has denied the allegations
A model and actress has filed a $3.3m lawsuit against the owner of a ritzy country club, claiming he is a sex pest who told her he’d have sex with her corpse.
Alison McDaniel, 42, made the allegations in a lawsuit against Paul Mihailides, the owner of The Preserve Sporting Club and Residences in the swanky neighborhood of Richmond, Rhode Island, where joining fees run up to $300,000.
McDaniel, of New York City, alleges Mihailides made the threat to rape her dead body after she missed a company holiday party through illness.
Her lawsuit claims he said: ‘I’m glad you didn’t die from your asthma attack. I would still have sex with you as long as your body wasn’t cold yet.’
McDaniel, who had a small role in the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and soap opera Guiding Light also claimed that Mihailides would routinely try and forcefully kiss her, touch her inappropriately, and ogle her with ‘suggestive overtones’.
She was paid $6,000-a-month to act as an influencer for The Preserve, appearing in videos which promoted its facilities, and acting as an editor who helped steer its marketing materials.
The allegations were denied by an attorney for The Preserve, who said in a statement to the Boston Globe the club plans to file a countersuit against McDaniel.
Alison McDaniel, an actress and model, claims she suffered vile sexual harassment at the hands of her former boss
Paul Mihailides (pictured) allegedly made a slew of lewd advances and remarks at McDaniel in his role as owner of The Preserve country club in Rhode Island
McDaniel began working with The Preserve in December 2019, as she was hired as a consultant to effectively become the face of the lavish resort.
Until she left in February 2022, she worked as its spokeswoman, acted in commercials, appeared in its social media, and edited the club’s magazine.
One clip showed her clay pigeon shooting with Mihailides, before disappearing into a Hobbit-inspired cabin for a cozy drink.
As well as her roles on film and in TV, McDaniel, who was born in Arkansas, has starred in a series of high-profile adverts including for American Airlines and Kohl’s.
She alleges her time at The Preserve was one of the most stressful of her career, and said Mihailides often nicknamed her his ‘mistress’ and ‘future ex-wife’.
He would repeatedly make lewd advances at her out of the blue, including by rubbing her ears and neck and grabbing her hand, the lawsuit claims.
In one incident in October 2021, Mihailides allegedly told McDaniel he was a ‘good lover’, adding that if she ‘wasn’t such a prude, (her) life could get a lot better’.
McDaniel was hired by Mihailides’ resort as a consultant, effectively becoming the face of the resort as its spokeswoman and actress in its commercials. They’re pictured together in one such ad filmed during the COVID crisis
The Reserve country club is among the most opulent in the state of Rhode Island, with membership costs ranging from $15,000 to $300,000
McDaniel has worked as a model and actress since 2005, with her most notable role coming in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Preserve is among the most opulent country clubs in the state of Rhode Island, offering an array of luxury amenities to East Coast elites with memberships ranging from $15,000 to $300,000.
The resort has built such an esteemed reputation in the area that Forbes named it as one of the top private clubs in America last year.
But it is alleged that its owner’s creepy behavior extended beyond the confines of the resort’s 3,500-acre estate, as McDaniel claims Mihailides would continue to harass her over text messages.
When she texted Mihailides in July 2021 to thank him for something unspecified, the country club boss allegedly responded: ‘Do kisses come after that?’
Months later in December, it is claimed McDaniel repeatedly asked to be paid money she was owed, leading Mihailides to call her a liar’. When she persisted, he allegedly told her: ‘If you just give me what I want, this would be a lot easier.’
The harassment seemingly got so bad that when Mihailides made sexual remarks to two other men, one of them approached McDaniel and asked if he was always ‘creepy’ and how she was able to handle his lewdness.
McDaniel effectively became the face of the resort, with part of her role including acting in its commercials and social media videos (pictured)
McDaniel (left) is seeking over $3 million in damages as a result of her alleged ordeal
She claims that Mihailides repeatedly made lewd remarks to her, including nicknaming her ‘my future ex-wife’
Throughout the three-year ordeal, it is claimed that despite her constant rejections Mihailides would imply to other employees he was having an affair with her.
Several other female employees are also named in the suit, who were also allegedly made uncomfortable by their boss’ ‘unwelcome, offensive, sexual comments.’
After one incident, McDaniel said even Mihailides’ wife let on that she knew of his alleged behavior as she asked her, in front of guests at the resort: ‘Have you ever had to deal with sexual harassment at work besides from my husband?’
The suit notes that this isn’t the first instance McDaniel accused Mihailides of misconduct, with a since-deleted Instagram post from March 8, 2022, slamming the owner for creating a ‘sexually harassing environment’.
Several months later, she filed a discrimination charge with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
However, the ritzy resort said the commission dismissed her claims, and an attorney for the club vehemently denied the allegations from McDaniel’s lawsuit.
‘Sexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable at any level and The Preserve holds all who work there in any capacity to a high standard,’ said the resort’s attorney Nicole Benjamin.
‘It is important to keep in mind a lawsuit is not made of facts, but rather allegations that must be proven,’ she added, saying Mihailides is ‘confident that a jury will ultimately reject the allegations.’
She said that the resort filed counter-claims against McDaniel with the EOC for ‘theft of company property, computer crimes and interference with company relationships, among other things.’
‘It was not until Ms. McDaniel refused to return The Preserve’s property that Ms. McDaniel made any allegation of harassment or discrimination,’ Benjamin told The Globe on Thursday.
The Preserve has been contacted for further comment by DailyMail.com.
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