A Seattle-based Amazon employee has filed a lawsuit alleging she was raped by a senior executive during a business trip to New York City in 2023 and that the company failed to conduct a thorough investigation while fostering a hostile work environment.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Washington state court, was brought by Laura Danbom, a marketing and operations manager for Amazon Web Services. Danbom alleges that the company violated the Silenced No More Act, a Washington state law protecting employees who report workplace assaults from retaliation.

According to the complaint, the alleged assault occurred on October 27, 2023, during a trip to New York. Danbom was attending an Amazon event along with colleagues, including Michelangelo Simonte, a top advertising executive based in Madrid. The group participated in an Amazon-funded open bar event followed by visits to karaoke bars.

The lawsuit states that earlier in the evening, Danbom and Simonte engaged in flirting and friendly conversation. Later, Simonte kissed Danbom and convinced her to allow him to accompany her back to her hotel room at the Hyatt Place in Chelsea. It was there that the alleged assault took place.

Following the incident, Danbom reported the matter to the New York Police Department, submitted to a rape kit, and provided officers with a condom left behind by Simonte. A detective monitored a phone call between Danbom and Simonte, during which Simonte reportedly denied having sexual intercourse. In a subsequent interview, Simonte reportedly said he was too intoxicated to remember the events clearly. Simonte did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Danbom’s attorney, the NYPD determined there was insufficient evidence to refer the case to prosecutors after completing their investigation. Two days after the incident, Danbom informed Amazon’s Human Resources Department. The company conducted its own inquiry and placed Simonte on a leave of absence lasting several months. Ultimately, Amazon concluded that Simonte had not violated company policies.

The lawsuit claims Amazon categorized Danbom’s allegations as “unfounded due to lack of evidence,” describing the case as a “he said, she said” scenario. Danbom further alleges that the company asked “inappropriate and re-traumatizing” questions during its investigation, including questioning whether she had sufficiently resisted the assault by yelling “no.”

The suit asserts that these actions created a hostile work environment and contributed to Danbom’s ongoing emotional distress. Amazon has not publicly responded to the specific allegations detailed in the lawsuit.