$138 million jury verdict against local firm

An Oakland County Circuit Court jury Tuesday, February 18, returned a $138 million verdict against a Birmingham business, Science Beauty Tech, and the owner of the firm, Gary Raykhinshteyn, on behalf of six former workers who had charged in their lawsuit about a hostile work environment, employment discrimination, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress which included physical contact and a pattern of sexual advances and harassing sexual comments.

Science Beauty Tech, locate at 261 East Maple Road, Suite 204, in Birmingham, offers electrostimulation and laser treatment for body ailments and for body sculpting.

Five of the six female plaintiffs in the lawsuit were represented by Flood Law managing partner Todd Flood and attorney Alllexa Otto, according to a release from the law firm. A sixth plaintiff was represented by attorney Zachary Runyan.

Filed by the plaintiffs in the fall of 2023, the original complaint obtained by Downtown catalogues a string of incidences, many sexual in nature, in which Raykhinshteyn actually touched workers’ bodies, made requests that workers wear more revealing clothing at work, or retaliated against workers who rejected his sexual advances while at work. All of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit were referred to as Jane Doe and were employed by the firm between the years of 2012 and 2023.

After the jury returned the verdict, Flood said, “What these women had to endure in the workplace was nothing short of horrific. Let this be a lesson for all those who abuse their position of power – you will be held accountable.”