from www.nydailynews.com – A Queens jury Tuesday cleared “designer vagina” doc Robert Rho of sexually harassing a former receptionist who claimed he plied her with a dinner and free liposuction.
The six-person jury rejected Jiyeon Byun’s sexual harassment claim after deliberating less than a day.
The jurors did find that Rho retaliated against Byun, 23, by forcing her to spend money on a lawyer when he responded to her lawsuit with one of his own.
In tearful testimony, Byun told jurors Rho tried to get her to join him in Atlantic City and kissed her over dinner at a Manhattan restaurant in 2008.
She claimed that Rho performed a $5,000 liposuction procedure on her stomach so he could continue sexually harassing her.
Rho’s lawyer, Karl Stocker, told jurors Rho never forced himself on Byun.
“There was no sex, there was no groping,” Stocker said. “There was no invitation to go to the local hotel. There was no invitation to go to the supply closet.”
Rho could not be reached for comment. The Flushing, Queens, doctor is a noted specialist in vaginal rejuvenation.