CEO and President of the Amerilodge Group, Asad Malik.
Credit: LinkedIn/ Asad Malik
Weeks after the Coldplay Kiss Cam controversy involving another top executive, another storm has surrounded corporate America — this time around Asad Malik, the married CEO and president of Amerilodge Group, a Michigan-based hospitality company.
Malik, celebrated in business circles for building a chain of hotels across the Midwest, now faces a lawsuit from 38-year-old former employee Stephanie Starling, who accused him of groping and attempting to kiss her during a Justin Timberlake concert earlier this year, and then trying to buy her silence with what she described as hush money.
Starling says she and her colleagues were treated to VIP tickets by Malik for the February concert. According to court filings, Malik allegedly told Starling he wanted a kiss during the concert. “I bet it would be a good kiss too. Probably later tonight,” he is reported to have said, before adding that he was “just looking at her lips” and thinking about the kiss.
Starling claimed she nervously laughed off his advances but soon sought help from her supervisor, begging not to be left alone. Despite this, Malik allegedly entered the same booth, sliding his hand under her thigh and touching her.
Terrified, Starling said she fled to a restroom where she tearfully phoned her father, asking him not to involve the police. Her manager and supervisor, she noted, overheard the call and promised to report the CEO’s behaviour.
The lawsuit also details what allegedly happened afterwards. Malik is accused of coercing her into his vehicle under the pretext of needing to talk, before driving to a dark spot and again demanding a kiss. When she refused, he grew agitated forcing her to return to the hotel, even threatening to walk through snow if necessary.
Back at work, Starling reported the incident to HR, but alleges the company failed to act, despite bringing in an external investigator. Soon after, her company email was revoked and she says she was pressured into resigning. Within a month, HR upheld her resignation citing inconclusive findings, while offering her a settlement she rejected as hush money.
Her lawyer, Jack Shulz, drew parallels with the viral Andrew Byron “astronomer CEO” case, accusing HR of siding with management. Amerilodge has declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation, while Malik has denied all allegations.