CEO sued for $20m after ‘stepping on clerk’s breast’

A 27-year-old clerk at Tullett Prebon Americas in New York is suing her British chief executive and the company for $20m after allegedly suffering an attack that amounted to "sexual battery".

Marcus Bolton, 45, one of the highest profile Brits in New York finance circles, is accused of seizing Jessica Franqui (above) and forcing her to dance with him on the trading floor of the firm's offices on January 6 this year. According to a writ filed by Franqui's lawyers, Bolton then spun her and dipped her backwards into a "vulnerable position and held her close to his face and body against her will".

The writ goes on: "During [the] plaintiff's struggle to free herself from [the] defendant, Bolton's grasp, he released her from his grip and she dropped to the floor on her back."

As Franqui lay on her back, Bolton, who was allegedly drunk, is then accused of stepping "directly and heavily onto [her] right breast with force enough to cause significant pain and shortness of breath".

Bolton, who relocated to the US in 2009 to run Tullett Prebon Americas, then allegedly "looked at the male employees in the room and pumped his fists in the air in a victorious manner".

When Franqui got to her feet and protested, Bolton, according to the 11-page writ, said words to the effect of: "Oh, come on now; it's all right. They [her breasts] are big and you probably didn’t even feel it." Franqui's lawyer says there is video of the incident – of the dancing, not the alleged 'breast step'.

Bolton and Tullett Prebon Americas – the US office of the famous City of London firm - are contesting Franqui's claims. Sexual harassment suits are relatively common in the male-dominated world of high finance, but at $20m, Franqui's suit is unusually large.

Her lawyers claim that Bolton's behaviour was "so vile and shocking that it warrants an award of punitive damages". ·