Steven E. Bachmann & Co., Steven E. Bachmann and Steven Silberman were Ordered to Pay More than $150,000 for Sexual Harassment

BACKGROUND

Steven E Bachmann & Co is a verified CPA and accounting firm located in Roslyn Heights, New York. The firm has been in business for over 42 years and offers comprehensive financial services including tax preparation, accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, and business consulting for both individuals and small businesses. 

In November 2021, Steven E. Bachmann & Co., a certified public accounting firm in Roslyn Heights, New York, hired a female employee as an administrative assistant and bookkeeper. (ALJ Dec. at 3.) Within weeks, she claimed she was subjected to sexual harassment. She claimed she was demeaned, objectified, and ultimately touched without her consent. (ALJ Dec. at 4-5.) According to the employee, the experience left her traumatized and unable to return to work. (ALJ Dec. at 7.) She turned to Employment Attorney Raymond Nardo for help.

Too many employees who are sexually harassed feel they have nowhere to turn. If you are experiencing sexual harassment at work, seek legal help. Attorney Nardo has extensive experience and has recovered millions of dollars for his clients. He can guide you through the process and protect your rights.

THE CASE

Attorney Nardo began by writing a letter to the employers, known as a “demand letter.” The employers could have resolved the case before it was filed. They did not, and Attorney Nardo filed a charge of sexual harassment with the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR). (ALJ Dec. at 1.) The NYSDHR investigated the case and found probable cause to believe that the firm, Bachmann, and Silberman had engaged in unlawful discrimination. (ALJ Dec. at 2.) The case did not settle at the NYSDHR settlement conference, and it proceeded to a public hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) on December 18, 2024, where Attorney Nardo presented testimony, cellphone video, and other exhibits. (ALJ Dec. at 2, 6.) 

The ALJ found that Steven E. Bachmann and Steven Silberman regularly made derogatory comments about women in front of the employee, referring to "dumb blondes," saying that women were always late, and saying that women were not as good as men in the workforce. (ALJ Dec. at 4, 10.) The ALJ found that Silberman often stared at the employee and asked her to go out with him for lunch, and that he made comments about her body, describing her thighs as "very big," "juicy," and "thunder thighs." (ALJ Dec. at 4, 10.) The ALJ found that Silberman openly and regularly viewed pornography on his work computer, showed her a photograph of a former employee depicting a sexually suggestive act, and asked her to reenact the pose with him. (ALJ Dec. at 5, 10-11.) The ALJ found that on November 19, 2021, after watching pornography in his office, Silberman ran his hand down the employee’s back, into her waistband, over her underwear, and onto her buttocks and thighs. (ALJ Dec. at 5, 10.) Shortly afterward, she recorded a video showing that Silberman had been watching a pornographic website on his work computer before he touched her. (ALJ Dec. at 6.) On her next scheduled workday, when she arrived at work intending to report the incident, Steven E. Bachmann approached her aggressively and screamed at her for being late, and she left the job permanently. (ALJ Dec. at 6, 11-12.)

At the hearing, the employee, Mr. Silberman, and Mr. Bachmann all testified under oath, and all were subject to cross-examination by opposing counsel. (ALJ Dec. at 2.) Mr. Nardo vigorously cross-examined Mr. Silberman and Mr. Bachmann. The evidence included testimony, documents, and a screen recording. (ALJ Dec. at 6.) The ALJ did not credit Mr. Silberman’s denials. (ALJ Dec. at 6.) 

THE RULING

In a Recommended Findings of Fact, Opinion and Decision, and Order dated March 18, 2026, the Administrative Law Judge heard the testimony, weighed the evidence, and found that the employee "was sexually harassed while working for" the firm, that Silberman "inappropriately touched [her] on her shoulder, back, thighs, and buttocks," and that these actions "were clearly taken because of [her] sex" and "were unwelcome." (ALJ Dec. at 10.) The ALJ found that she had been constructively discharged, that Steven E. Bachmann was individually liable as the firm's owner, that the firm was liable for the conduct of both men, and that Steven Silberman was liable as an aider and abettor. (ALJ Dec. at 12.) The ALJ also found that the firm never gave the employee any sexual harassment training or an employee handbook. (ALJ Dec. at 4, 12.)

The ALJ found that the harassment left the employee "isolated, anxious, belittled, objectified, and traumatized," that she was diagnosed with "major depressive disorder, moderate," and that she was treated by a mental health counselor weekly for approximately fifteen months. (ALJ Dec. at 8, 15.)

On review, the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights issued a Final Order dated June 15, 2026, adopting the ALJ’s findings and increasing the award. (Comm’r Order at 1-3.) Respondents filed objections, which the Commissioner considered and rejected. (Comm'r Order at 1-3.) The Commissioner ordered Steven E. Bachmann & Co., Steven E. Bachmann, and Steven Silberman to pay more than $150,000, plus interest at nine percent per year, broken down as follows: $62,751.06 in lost wages (ALJ Dec. at 14, 20; Comm’r Order at 3), $50,000 for the employee's mental anguish (Comm’r Order at 2), $14,486.70 in attorney's fees and costs to Attorney Nardo (Comm’r Order at 3), and a $25,000 civil fine and penalty payable to the State of New York (ALJ Dec. at 16, 20; Comm’r Order at 3). The firm was also ordered to train its officers, managers, and employees, including Bachmann and Silberman, on the investigation and prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace. (ALJ Dec. at 21.) After Attorney Nardo won an award before the ALJ and the Commissioner, Respondents sought judicial review of the Commissioner’s Order, and that proceeding is now pending.

If you have a claim before the New York State Division of Human Rights, contact Employment Attorney Raymond Nardo for a consultation. He will fight for your rights, from a demand letter through a hearing, if the Respondents do not agree to settle for a reasonable amount.

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