Squash Coach Says Ritzy Country Club Allowed Rampant Sexual Harassment

A New York country club that charges its members a $170,000 initiation fee fired its squash director after she raised the alarm about an alleged “sexually hostile work environment for women,” according to a federal retaliation lawsuit filed by the director on Thursday. Natalie Grainger, identified in her complaint as “one of the most decorated professional squash players in United States history,” said that she began working at Westchester Country Club in 2018, but quickly became aware of a culture that allowed male club members to freely sexually harass female employees. Her concerns deepened after the sister of a female employee called her “in a panic” in August 2020, saying the employee had been drugged while “out” with a “prominent” club member. Grainger later heard that the employee had been raped by that member, the complaint states. Just over a year later, the suit goes on to claim, Grainger discovered the existence of an alleged “trail of text messages” between male club members discussing “a ‘lineup’ of women they had apparently picked out for the evening’s ‘fun.’” Just days after coming forward to the club in March 2022, Grainger’s suit alleges, its executives demanded her resignation, saying they’d “lost faith” in her. When contacted by the New York Post for comment, a Westchester Country Club official did not respond.