Rudy Giuliani sued by former employee for alleged sexual assault and harassment

Rudy Giuliani sued by former employee for alleged sexual assault and harassment
Rudy Giuliani sued by former employee for alleged sexual assault and harassment
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — A former associate is suing Rudy Giuliani for alleged sexual assault and harassment, wage theft and other misconduct, accusing the former mayor and Trump lawyer of making “sexual demands” and going on “alcohol-drenched rants that included sexist, racist, and antisemitic remarks,” many of which were allegedly recorded.

Noelle Dunphy said she began working for Giuliani in 2019 as his director of business development. Giuliani “began abusing Ms. Dunphy almost immediately after she started working for” him, according to her lawsuit.

“He made clear that satisfying his sexual demands — which came virtually anytime, anywhere — was an absolute requirement of her employment and of his legal representation,” the lawsuit said.

According to Dunphy, Giuliani promised her a $1 million annual salary but the offer came with a catch: Giuliani was in the midst of an acrimonious divorce and he told Dunphy that her pay would have to be deferred and her employment kept “secret” until the divorce proceedings finished. He claimed that his “crazy” ex-wife and her lawyers were watching his cashflow and that his ex-wife would “attack” and “retaliate” against any female employee that Giuliani hired, the lawsuit said.

Part of the job required Dunphy to record her interactions with Giuliani “anytime, anywhere, as well as Giuliani’s interactions with others,” the lawsuit said.

“But unbeknownst to Ms. Dunphy, Giuliani apparently decided during the interview that he would use the job offer and his representation as a pretext to develop a quid pro quo sexual relationship with Ms. Dunphy. He was later recorded telling Ms. Dunphy, ‘I’ve wanted you from the day I interviewed you,'” the lawsuit said.

Giuliani has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment but a spokesperson for the former mayor told ABC New York station WABC “Giuliani vehemently and completely denies the allegations in the complaint and plans to thoroughly defend against these allegations. This is pure harassment and an attempt at extortion.”

According to the lawsuit, a week into her employment, Giuliani had Dunphy flown to New York on a chartered plane and insisted she stay in a guest suite in his Upper East Side apartment. The two drank and at one point “Giuliani then pulled her head onto his penis, without asking for or obtaining any form of consent. He held her by her hair. It became clear to Ms. Dunphy that there was no way out of giving him oral sex. She did so, against her will,” the lawsuit said.

Giuliani often demanded that Dunphy work naked, in a bikini, or in short shorts with an American flag on them that he bought for her, the lawsuit said.

“When they were apart, they would often work remotely via videoconference, and during those conferences Giuliani almost always asked her to remove her clothes on camera. He often called from his bed, where he was visibly touching himself under a white sheet,” the lawsuit said.

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This is what extreme heat can do to your body as record-setting temperatures rip through Pacific Northwest

This is what extreme heat can do to your body as record-setting temperatures rip through Pacific Northwest
This is what extreme heat can do to your body as record-setting temperatures rip through Pacific Northwest
SimpleImages/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The Pacific Northwest was hit by a record-breaking heat wave over the weekend, with the highest temperatures seen at this point in the season.

Portland, Oregon, reached 93 degrees on Saturday — breaking a record set in 1973 — and 92 degrees on Sunday, according to National Weather Service Portland. Meanwhile, in Seattle, temperatures soared to a record-high 82 degrees, according to National Weather Service Seattle.

Although some regions are expected to see some relief at the beginning of this week, temperatures are expected to rise again.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 618 people die from heat-related illnesses every year in the U.S. and heat waves can lead to excess deaths. More than 70,000 people died in a heat wave in Europe in 2003.

Experts say people can suffer severe health effects beyond the well-known heat-related illnesses in extreme heat.

“It’s more than a heat wave or just heatstroke,” Dr. Kai Chen, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, told ABC News. “That’s not the whole story, it’s the tip of the iceberg.”

Normally during extreme heat — meaning temperatures that are hotter and/or more humid than average — the body tries to cool itself by sweating.

However, if a person does not replenish with fluids, that can lead to dehydration. The body temperature can then continue to rise, which can then lead to other heat-related illnesses.

“Heat illness is a spectrum of disease,” Dr. John Purakal, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, told ABC News. “And it starts with kind of very low and mild symptoms and then works its way up to much more critical and concerning symptoms. It’s usually a result of your body’s difficulty with thermo-regulation and that’s because of both dehydration and your salt stores being depleted.”

The mild symptoms come in the form of a sunburn or a heat rash or heat cramps, with signs including muscle pain and spasms.

This can progress to heat exhaustion — which includes symptoms of headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting — and, if the body reaches extremely high temperatures, heat stroke.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a very long time outside with exposure to get this to happen,” said Purakal. “It just depends on how hot it is outside, what sort of medical conditions you have and whether or not you’re exerting yourself.”

Anyone can be impacted by heat-related illness but some populations — including the elderly, infants and young children, outdoor workers and people with low socioeconomic status — are at higher risk.

Being exposed to extreme heat can cause even more damage to the body. Chen said extreme heat can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, a recent study found extreme heat exposure is linked to an increase in kidney disease-related ER visits.

“But also, the impact goes beyond just the physical health, it can also impact our mental health,” Chen said.

Research has shown that extreme heat has been linked to increases in irritability and symptoms of depression.

Additionally, people on certain medications, including some antidepressants and antipsychotics, can have trouble regulating temperature.

To stay safe, experts recommend using air-conditioning or finding your nearest cooling center if air conditioning is not available. They also recommend people wear loose, light-fitting clothes, limit time outside and drink plenty of water.

Purakal said it’s also important to recognize something might be wrong and to call for help if needed.

“One of the things that folks get themselves into trouble with is just kind of not knowing the signs to look for and not thinking to call sooner than later, because the longer you expose yourself, the more risk that’s involved,” he said.

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At least three civilians dead, two cops injured in New Mexico shooting: Police

At least three civilians dead, two cops injured in New Mexico shooting: Police
At least three civilians dead, two cops injured in New Mexico shooting: Police
Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

(FARMINGTON, N.M.) — At least three civilians were killed and two officers were hospitalized after a suspect opened fire in Farmington, New Mexico, before officers shot and killed the alleged gunman, police said Monday.

The Farmington Police Department, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene.

The Farmington Municipal School District issued an alert on its Facebook page stating that Apache and McKinley elementary schools, Central Kitchen and the CATE Center were under lockdown until further notice. Officials said all of the children and staff were safe.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Shark attacks fisherman in kayak off the coast of Hawaii

Shark attacks fisherman in kayak off the coast of Hawaii
Shark attacks fisherman in kayak off the coast of Hawaii
Courtesy of Scott Haraguchi

(OAHU, Hawaii) — Hawaiian kayak fisherman Scott Haraguchi found himself in a miniaturized scene from “Jaws” when a tiger shark attacked his kayak about a mile off the coast of Oahu.

Haraguchi captured dramatic video of the incident on his GoPro camera, which he had been running to record his fishing trip.

“I heard a whooshing sound that sounded like a boat heading towards me without the motor, and I looked up and I saw this big wide brown thing which my brain thought was a turtle, but then I got slammed by it and realized that it was a tiger shark,” Haraguchi told ABC affiliate KITV.

The video shows a large tiger shark stealthily approaching the bow of Haraguchi’s kayak before opening its mouth to bite the kayak’s left side.

Haraguchi told KITV that he suspects the attack occurred after the shark mistook his bright yellow kayak for an injured seal, which Haraguchi said he noticed the same day.

“I am thinking that the shark actually disabled and wounded the seal, let it die or was waiting for it to die, came back and thought I was the seal, and attacked me instead,” he said.

Despite the terrifying encounter, Haraguchi continued fishing after the incident. The shark left minor bite marks on his fishing-rigged kayak, which was otherwise unscathed.

“I realize that life is short, time is short on earth, make the most of it, be nice to people, all that stuff,” Haraguchi said, reflecting on the incident.

Shark attacks remain uncommon in the United States, despite a recent resurgence of great white sharks off the coast of New England. The likelihood of a fatal shark attack is 1 in 4,332,817, compared to more common fatal incidents stemming from drowning (1 in 1,134) or airline/space-related incidents (1 in 5,051), according to a database maintained by the University of Florida.

Hawaii’s Division of Aquatic Resources has recorded four shark attacks on the islands since the start of 2023, including two involving tiger sharks.

The Hawaii incident closely follows a Florida incident on May 11 where a 13-year-old girl fought off a shark that bit her several times.

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Early heat wave on West Coast to stretch through end of the week

Early heat wave on West Coast to stretch through end of the week
Early heat wave on West Coast to stretch through end of the week
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave that began much earlier than usual is continuing on the West Coast.

Heat advisories are currently in place for Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and down to Fresno and Bakersfield in California.

Several record-high temperatures were broken over the weekend in California and the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Weather Service.

Highs of 95 degrees in North Bend, Oregon, 92 degrees in Portland and 89 degrees in Seattle all broke daily records on Sunday. A temperature of 102 degrees in Bakersfield tied the record.

More record heat is forecast on Monday from Seattle down to Portland, where temperatures are expected to remain near 90 degrees.

Slight relief will come on Tuesday for some regions, such as Seattle, but heat returns by the middle of the week, with 90-degree temperatures expected in Portland and near 100-degree temperatures forecast in Fresno to end the week.

The scorching temperatures are unseasonable for this time of year, especially for the Pacific Northwest. The majority of households in the region are not equipped with central air conditioning, raising the risk for heat-related illness for residents there. Extreme heat is the deadliest natural hazard in the U.S, experts said.

Temperatures do not typically begin to climb so high in the region until well into June, records show.

The increase of extreme heat is an indicator of human-caused climate change, scientists say.

More than 230 locations in the U.S. have seen the annual number of minimum mortality temperature heat days — temperatures at which the health risks also start to rise — by 21 more days on average since 1970, according to an analysis by Climate Central.

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Man, woman arrested after 3 pounds of cocaine falls from fake pregnancy belly: Sheriff

Man, woman arrested after 3 pounds of cocaine falls from fake pregnancy belly: Sheriff
Man, woman arrested after 3 pounds of cocaine falls from fake pregnancy belly: Sheriff
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office SC

(NEW YORK) — Deputies in South Carolina arrested a “pregnant” woman after three pounds of cocaine fell from a rubber belly the suspect allegedly taped to herself.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled over Anthony Miller and Cemeka Mitchem, both of Charlotte, on Interstate 85 on April 12 during a “proactive patrol,” according to an account from the sheriff’s office.

Public Information Officer Shale Remien told ABC News that the stop was predicated on Miller’s erratic driving. He allegedly weaved through multiple lanes and nearly collided with a semi-trailer truck, Remien said.

Miller and Mitchem behaved nervously during the stop and volunteered that Mitchem was pregnant, according to Remien.

“The first red flag began when the two gave conflicting information about her ‘due date,'” the release from the office said.

Remien added that the two offered different information about their destination. Deputies also found marijuana in their vehicle, according to Remien.

Mitchem fled from the officers as they grew increasingly suspicious of the “conflicting story” offered by the couple, according to police.

“Mitchem immediately took off running and very quickly drugs fell from the fake rubber stomach,” the release noted.

Both Mitchem and Miller were arrested and face drug trafficking charges for the 1,500 grams of cocaine officers retrieved from the stop. The two remain incarcerated in Anderson County.

“It’s not every day we see something like that,” Remien said.

Information about Miller and Mitchem’s attorney was not immediately available.

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Suzanne Morphew’s husband, daughters speak out for first time since filing lawsuit

Suzanne Morphew’s husband, daughters speak out for first time since filing lawsuit
Suzanne Morphew’s husband, daughters speak out for first time since filing lawsuit
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — It’s been just over three years since Suzanne Morphew vanished on Mother’s Day. Now, her husband and their two daughters are speaking out for the first time since filing a $15 million lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully charged in her alleged death.

“It’s very hurtful to lose your reputation and your integrity,” husband Barry Morphew told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Monday on Good Morning America.

Suzanne Morphew, 49 at the time, was reported missing in Colorado’s Chaffee County after she went for a bike ride and never returned home on May 10, 2020. She has never been found and is presumed dead, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.

Barry Morphew, 55, was arrested almost a year later on charges including first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with his wife’s disappearance. But all charges against Barry Morphew were dropped in April 2022, just days before he was set to stand trial.

The move came after the judge presiding over the case barred prosecutors from using most of their key witnesses at trial as punishment for repeatedly failing to turn over evidence in the defendant’s favor. Prosecutors also said at the time that they believed authorities were close to finding Suzanne Morphew’s body, which would be “the most influential fact of consequence.” Examining Suzanne Morphew’s body could either incriminate or exculpate her husband, prosecutors said.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, which allows prosecutors to file charges against Barry Morphew again. He is still considered a suspect and authorities told ABC News they aren’t ruling out future charges.

When asked whether he has anything to do with his wife’s disappearance, Barry Morphew told ABC News: “Absolutely not.”

“They’ve got tunnel vision and they looked at one person and they’ve got too much pride to say they’re wrong and look somewhere else,” he added. “I don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

The couple’s daughters, Mallory and Macy Morphew, told ABC News that the last three years have been “literally our worst nightmare.” But they are standing by their father.

“I’ve never had a shred of doubt,” Macy Morphew said.

“Not one,” Mallory Morphew added.

Both daughters said there was no indication before their mother vanished that something was amiss and that they never observed any concerning disagreements between their parents.

However, text messages obtained by prosecutors and shared with ABC News appear to show a strained marriage, with Suzanne Morphew referring to her husband as “Jekyl and Hyde” and telling him “I’m done” just before she was reported missing. In another text message, Suzanne Morphew confided in a friend, writing: “Macy and I had a very tough talk yesterday … She’s weary of the tension here. She knows how he is toward me and almost begged me to divorce him … He’s still pulling Mal in.”

Barry Morphew denied their marriage was in trouble.

“We had a wonderful life, a wonderful marriage,” he told ABC News. “She was just so loving and giving, and such a good mother.”

He said his wife had been having cancer treatments in the years prior to her disappearance.

“I know she was going through some hard things and made some bad decisions,” he added. “She was really having trouble with the chemotherapy and the drugs.”

Suzanne Morphew had also been having an affair with another man for about two years, according to authorities. Barry Morphew said he “didn’t believe it” at first when he found out.

“My heart was broken,” he tearfully told ABC News.

Earlier this month, Barry Morphew filed a $15 million federal civil rights civil lawsuit against prosecutors, the sheriff and several investigators, claiming that his life has been ruined by false accusations. His defense attorneys, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen and Iris Eytan, said they “know he’s innocent.”

“I know that $15 million is a huge number but I don’t think that, in my mind, that covers any of the damage that’s happened to Barry and the girls,” Fisher-Byrialsen told ABC News.

“If they would just look for Suzanne outside of where they hypothesized Barry could’ve possibly buried her remains, they could find her,” Eytan added.

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Girl, 13, speaks out after fighting off shark at Florida beach

Girl, 13, speaks out after fighting off shark at Florida beach
Girl, 13, speaks out after fighting off shark at Florida beach
ABC News

(MIAMI) — A 13-year-old girl said she has more than a dozen stitches after fighting off a shark at a Florida beach.

Ella Reed was sitting in shallow water with a friend near a jetty in the Fort Pierce area Thursday when the shark approached, the teen told Miami ABC affiliate WPLG-TV.

“The shark itself was so powerful,” Reed told the station. “That was what I felt the most, was it like hitting my stomach really hard.”

Reed said she punched the shark — which she believed to be a bull shark about 5 to 6 feet long — but it came back.

“It wouldn’t leave me alone, so I had to use my arm and put it there and use my hand too, so it got my finger and my arm right here,” she told WPLG, pointing to her injuries.

Reed said she called her family after the attack. Her mother said she was stunned by the sight of her daughter.

“It was insane because she was totally covered in blood pretty much head to toe so you couldn’t really see what went on,” her mother, Devin Reed, told WPLG. “She was shaking but she was calm.”

Reed told the station that the shark bit her in the stomach, arm, finger and the top of her knee and that she received 19 stitches total at the hospital.

“I was kinda in shock about everything that happened, so I wasn’t really in pain because the adrenaline was just through the roof,” she said.

The Florida native told WPLG she’s never been afraid of the ocean — and that hasn’t changed even after the shark attack.

“It was clear water so you never really know when it’s going to happen,” she told WPLG.

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Fourteen-year-old shot and killed on Philadelphia subway platform

Fourteen-year-old shot and killed on Philadelphia subway platform
Fourteen-year-old shot and killed on Philadelphia subway platform
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(PHILADELPHIA) — A teenager was fatally shot on a train platform in West Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, according to police.

The Philadelphia Police Department said the shooting took place at a SEPTA station on the 5200 block of Market Street.

The 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest and the arm and was transported by medics to Presbyterian Hospital where he later died, police said.

No arrests have been made and a weapon has not been recovered, police said.

Sources told ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI that an adult man was identified as the suspect and is currently on the run.

According to WPVI sources, the suspect and the teenager had a physical altercation which started when the 14-year-old allegedly hit the suspect.

The suspect then allegedly took out a gun and fired, hitting the victim, and then fled the scene, according to WPVI.

“SEPTA Police are working closely with Philadelphia Police to find the suspect in this case. This is a horrific tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family that has experienced an unimaginable loss,” SEPTA said in a statement to ABC News.

The statement added, “SEPTA serves over 600,000 riders a day, and the vast majority get to-and-from their destinations without incident. However, even one violent crime is too many, and we are continuing to adjust police patrols and add officers to our ranks so we can address hot spots while providing police coverage across the system.”

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New York City’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel reopens as ‘asylum seeker arrival center’

New York City’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel reopens as ‘asylum seeker arrival center’
New York City’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel reopens as ‘asylum seeker arrival center’
Luiz C. Ribeiro for N.Y. Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — New York City’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel reopened its doors over the weekend after nearly three years — but this time, to a slightly different clientele.

The historic hotel, which was built in the 1920s and named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, is now hosting New York City’s first “asylum seeker arrival center” amid an expected influx of migrants, Mayor Eric Adams announced Saturday.

Located in Midtown Manhattan near Grand Central Terminal, the Roosevelt Hotel is “serving as a centralized intake center for all arriving asylum seekers and providing migrants with access to a range of legal, medical and reconnection services, as well as placement, if needed, in a shelter or humanitarian relief center,” according to Adams.

The mayor said asylum seekers arriving in New York City will be directed to the arrival center at the Roosevelt Hotel, which will also open up 175 rooms for children and families until it is scaled to approximately 850 rooms. An additional 100 to 150 rooms will be reserved for asylum seekers in transition to other locations. Asylum seekers already in the city’s care will also have access to the arrival center and its services, according to Adams.

Adams described the asylum seeker arrival center as the first of its kind in New York City. It is also the ninth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center that the city has opened along with 140 emergency shelters since more than 65,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city — a number that is “expected to rapidly accelerate” now that so-called Title 42 restrictions have lifted, the mayor said.

The restrictions, which lifted at 11:59 p.m. ET last Thursday, were a pandemic-related immigration policy that allowed the United States to swiftly turn back migrants at its border with Mexico for the last three years in the name of protecting public health.

Adams said New York City has reached its capacity and called for additional support from the state and federal governments as the city grapples with the “crisis.”

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