Medical start-up founder Danae Vachata, 29, filed a complaint against venture capitalist Lucio Lanza, 73, who allegedly groped and threatened her while aboard a plane
A tech start-up founder has filed a lawsuit against a San Francisco venture capitalist who she claims groped her and threatened he could ‘make or break’ her career while aboard a red eye flight.
When she resisted his advances he allegedly threatened her, boasting of his powerful pull in Silicon Valley.
Danae Vachata, 29, sued venture capitalist Lucio Lanza, 73, for emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees at Santa Clara County Superior Court on February 14, in wake of the harassment that took place last July.
The alleged harassment first started as a conversation while aboard a San Francisco flight bound for Minneapolis where Lanza, the Managing Director of Lanza Tech Ventures, sat next to her and upon seeing her send a work email, began inquire about her company.
Vachata is the co-founder and CEO of a medical surgical start-up called Mallium and has made the prestigious list of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Healthcare in 2018.
After small talk it was revealed that Lanza was in the wrong seat and he was asked to move, but kept returning to talk to Vachata and once allegedly brought her an alcoholic drink.
Vachata filed the lawsuit against Lanza (above), who Lanza Tech Ventures, on February 14 and has since received word from other women say they too were victims of his assault
On the plane Lanza allegedly drunkenly spoke with her, groped her breast, tried to kiss her, and then threatened her when she resisted saying he could ‘make or break’ her career
The person sitting next to Vachata offered to switch seats so Lanza could continue the conversation.
Vachata claimed that Lanza appeared drunk with a stench of alcohol and slurring his words.
Once seated next to her the harassment began. She claims he grabbed her arm, then her breast, tried to kiss her and tried to grab her crotch, according to the complaint.
He also allegedly threatened her when she resisted saying how he could ‘make or break’ her career, boasting about his power in the start-up industry.
On his company’s website it claims the company has backed over 50 start-ups.
When she arrived at the gate of her following flight, she asked to not be seated next to a male passenger but was refused.
She also told the airline agent of the incident with Lanza, who told her that Lanza was a ‘platinum member’ which would explain his access to ‘an abundance of alcohol’. The agent then told her to report the incident.
In her complaint Vachata said she suffered an anxiety attack and passed out on her subsequent flight. She was escorted to emergency services, where she reported the Lanza’s alleged behavior which was also reported to law enforcement.
After the complaint was filed a spokesperson for Lanza said: ‘Lucio has no idea of what he is being accused of. As far as he remembers, he was on a plane talking with this woman about her start-up,’ as told to Business Insider.
Barely a month since her complaint was filed, Vachata says other women have reached out to her say they too have been victims of Lanza’s unwanted advances, where he also pulled the ‘make or break’ career card.
The new accounts string together a 10-year history of Lanza’s alleged harassment and exploitation of women.
Vachata, above, is the co-founder of a medical surgical start-up Mallium. Her achievements won her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in Healthcare in 2018
Vachata (left) claimed in the complaint that after the harassment she boarded another flight where she had an anxiety attack and passed out. She later reported Lanza’s alleged assault
The complaint was filed and amended at Santa Clara Superior Court (above)
‘After the incident happened, just by the way he approached things and the way that he threatened me, I knew deep down inside that this wasn’t his first time,’ Vachata said to The Verge.
Women began to reach out after media first reported on her lawsuit.
‘It was very like, oh my goodness, someone believes me. Someone knows that I’m not making this up,’ she said.
She added she was sad to know Lanza had ‘been doing this for so long and he has been using fear tactics to silence us.’
On Thursday Vachata’s lawyers amended the complaint to add the voices of other women who have had similar experiences.
‘Since filing the initial Complaint in this matter, Ms. Vachata has learned that Lanza has engaged in a pattern of sexually assaulting women going back more than a decade,’ the amended complaint said.
‘Specifically, other women have come forward to share their experiences of Lanza groping and fondling them against their will and boasting about his power to make or break careers in Silicon Valley. The assault on Ms. Vachata is just the latest example of Lanza’s predatory behavior,’ it said.
Although the new women have not been identified they may be in the future.
Lanza has a successful venture capitalist career and formerly worked at US Venture Partners and as the CEO of EDA Systems in the 1980s.
A spokesperson for Lanza said to The Verge: ‘Ms. Vachata’s amended complaint is as sensationalist and meritless as the original. Neither has even been served on Mr. Lanza, but instead has been presented to the media to smear his name. We will defend Mr. Lanza vigorously.’