Woman Says NYC Voice Coach Groped Her

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A woman says that a veteran New York voice coach assaulted her in his East Village studio in 2015, adding yet another account to more than a dozen stories from women who say the same coach assaulted or harassed them.

The woman, illustrator Lucy Engelman, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing Peter Rofé of groping and forcibly kissing her during a voice coaching session.

"Peter Rofé groped and tried to force himself onto Ms. Engelman under the pretext that the sexual acts were part of a scene, even though it was not," according to Engelman's lawsuit. "Peter Rofé insisted that they both ran through the same dialogue three times and each time he forced himself onto her, grabbing her arms, pulling her against his body, and forcibly kissing her."

At least 16 women have already come forward with accounts of Rofé groping or assaulting them.

"Women now have a voice and a forum to seek justice for their claims against Peter Rofé and we hope that they will," attorney Jordan Merson told Patch.

CNN published a detailed account of women accusing Rofé of assault last month. In total, 16 women told CNN that Rofé had acted inappropriately with them during voice coaching sessions in his Manhattan studio or apartment.

One woman, Samantha Shulman, told CNN that during a session in 2004, Rofé convinced her to take off her shirt and then "took his penis out."

"He asked if I wanted to touch it, and then he reached down and he touched my breast," Shulman told CNN. "I remember putting my shirt back on, and I didn't say anything. I was in shock."

An attorney for Rofé did not immediately respond to an email from Patch seeking comment. His attorney told CNN in a statement that Rofé "has always acted professionally and respectfully."

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