Paterson charter school director Danny Necimo accused of sexually touching, harassing receptionist
By Jayed Rahman
Published: February 25, 2019
The director of the Paterson Arts and Science Charter School allegedly sexually touched an employee and engaged in a campaign of sexual harassment against her, according to documents filed in New Jersey Superior Court.
“Those look nice,” Danny Necimo, the accused director, told the woman identified by her initials as J.R., who worked as a receptionist at the Paterson Arts and Science Charter School on Grand Street. “I like big-breasted women.”
In one incident, Feb. 2017, Necimo allegedly grabbed the woman by her buttocks. In another incident, May 2017, Necimo asked the woman to come to the conference room, shut the door, and approached her from the back. He grabbed her breast, took it out of her shirt, and tried to put his lips on her bosom, according to the lawsuit.
The woman pushed Necimo away. She told him if he touched her again, she would kick him in the “balls” and scream.
Necimo did not respond to repeated requests for comments for this story on Thursday. On Friday morning, he called a reporter from the school’s phone, when asked to identify himself, he hung up.
“I’ll have my lawyer call you,” said Necimo, who is identified as Danny Necimoglu in the lawsuit, in a second phone call that followed the bizarre first. Neither he nor his lawyer has responded to the allegations as of Monday morning.
When asked if the woman reported what appears to be a sexual assault to police, her attorney, Mark Mulick, said, “She was afraid for her job. When she complained, she was fired. They are afraid of being put through the meat grinder. A lot of women are afraid to report.”
The woman, who has been identified by the Paterson Times, began working for the Paterson Arts and Science Charter School on Aug. 10, 2015. She resides in Paterson.
On yet another occasion, Necimo told the woman he would rip her apart.
“Your hands can do other things besides paperwork,” Necimo allegedly said to her. “Try my office sofa after school to see how comfortable it is.”
The woman resisted and told him to stop each time, says the lawsuit. Necimo, who would not stop, began a demeaning campaign against her for resisting. He called her “stupid” and “dumb.” He asked her if she was “f—king stupid?”
The receptionist told him he was being disrespectful and that she would report him to human resources.
“If you don’t like it, there is a f–king door,” Necimo responded to her complaint.
On Aug. 24, 2017, she contacted the human resources department of the iLearn Schools, the parent organization of the Paterson Arts and Science Charter School, to report that she was being harassed both verbally and physically.
The lawsuit states she spoke to two women, Gulten Bergal and Lori Cobb. She told them she was being harassed and improperly touched by Necimoglu.
Cobb apologized and told the woman to take the rest of the afternoon off and not to return to Necimo’s campus. The receptionist was to wait for a call. At 5:30 p.m., she received a call from Bergall at her home. Bergall instructed her to visit the iLearn’s central office before reporting to the Paterson campus the next day.
On Aug. 25, she met both Bergall and Cobb. She was told her employment with iLearn Schools had been terminated. Bergall told her she was being fired because Necimo complained that she was not completing her work.
A month earlier, iLearn School renewed her contract for 12 months. How had she been terminated if the school had renewed her contract last month? She inquired to the duo. Cobb and Bergall said nothing and looked uncomfortable, says the lawsuit.
Cobb told her she should seek legal assistance if she thought she was being treated unfairly.
On Aug. 30, 2017, Necimo’s assistant Caroline Johnson called the receptionist and told her that the school director was sorry about what happened and that he knew he made a mistake.
Johnson told her she told Necimo he acted stupidly and it would ruin his life.
Necimo, who was hired by the school on Aug. 1, 2015 for $91,800, lives in Wayne. He is married to a woman who works for the Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, according to public records.
Necimo was allegedly carrying on an affair with another employee at the school to whom he made sexually provocative comments about the receptionist, says the lawsuit.
“iLearn does not and will not comment on pending litigation,” said Nihat Guvercin, chief executive officer for iLearn Schools.
Guvercin did not respond to five questions sent by the Paterson Times. He would not say whether the school conducted an investigation into the woman’s allegations. He would also not provide Necimo’s current employment status with the school.
State law says employment status of an employee should be immediately available upon request.
Necimo remains employed at Paterson Arts and Science Charter School based on his phone call from the school.
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