The head of an elite New York members’ club is being sued after he allegedly had an affair with a submarine explorer and then booted her and her husband out of its offices.
The Explorers Club, whose members include Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, has been rocked by allegations that its president Richard Wiese had a ‘sexual relationship’ with explorer Christine Dennison while he was living with his now-wife Nicole Young.
The illicit relationship came to light in a $1.9 million lawsuit filed by Dennison and her husband Timothy Taylor against Wiese and the club claiming that the boss then booted them out of rental offices in an act of vengeance.
This comes amid a tumultuous time for the club, as members have slammed plans to partner with the Discovery Channel.
The Explorers Club has been rocked by allegations that its president Richard Wiese (above) had a ‘sexual relationship’ with explorer Christine Dennison and then booted her and her husband out of the club
The illicit relationship came to light in a lawsuit filed by Dennison and her husband Timothy Taylor against Wiese and the club (headquarters above) claiming that the boss then booted them out of rental offices in an act of vengeance
According to the suit, Dennison and Wiese embarked on an affair in 2003 when the prolific scuba diver first became a club fellow.
The lothario club boss was allegedly in a relationship with the group’s executive director, Nicole Young, who he later married, at the time.
Dennison, who was the first woman to scuba dive in the Northwest Passage and the Amazon’s Rio Negro, told The Post that she broke the affair off when she discovered he was two-timing the women.
‘I did break it off when I became aware he was living with this woman as well. He wasn’t honest,’ she said.
Wiese went on to marry Young in 2007 and Dennison wed Taylor in 2010 at the club.
Dennison and Taylor have now filed a $1.9 million lawsuit for breach of contract, defamation and negligence after being expelled from the elite club.
The dispute centers around the couple’s rental of office space in its Manhattan headquarters.
Dennison and Taylor claim that Wiese wanted rid of them so he could take their space for his own office.
The couple also claim that their expulsion is a personal attack, citing Dennison and Wiese’s past relationship in the court documents filed last month.
Dennison told The Post: ‘It feels like a personal issue is involved as I have not done anything that warrants these extreme actions.’
Dennison said it is ‘sad’ that the club ‘has tried to diminish my accomplishments and value by revoking my membership.’
Wiese and his wife Nicole Young in 2018. He was allegedly in a relationship with Young, who is the group’s executive director, at the time of the affair
Timothy Taylor (left) and Christine Dennison (second left) at the 2011 WINGS WorldQuest Women of Discovery Awards in New York. The couple filed the $1.9 million lawsuit for breach of contract, defamation and negligence after being expelled from the elite club
‘I feel it is important that I stand up and not accept being bullied, intimidated and harassed by an organization that allows this behavior towards its female members,’ the explorer said.
Wiese brushed off the allegations as ‘baseless and frivolous’ and said the couple ‘intended only to harass and intimidate.’
He has also branded claims of an affair with Dennison ‘a lie’, according to club fellow and former board member Vanessa O’Brien.
It’s not the first time the president has been rocked by accusations of inappropriate behavior, after another member filed a previous complaint of sexual harassment saying ‘female board members who disagree with the president are interrupted and not allowed to continue to speak.’
The saga comes as another blow to the non-profit as it has faced a backlash over its decision to make a deal with the Discovery Channel.
Members, many of whom have traveled to the moon and scaled Mount Everest, voiced outrage after it emerged in January that Wiese had secretly agreed to partner with the network.
The deal, which would give the Discovery Channel naming rights to the headquarters and filming rights for expeditions, is being branded a sellout by some members.
The Explorers Club counts Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as members. Its headquarters in New York City houses some memorabilia from expeditions including a stuffed polar bear (left) and stuff sperm whale penis (right)
The suit comes as another blow to the non-profit as it has faced a backlash over its decision to make a deal with the Discovery Channel, giving the network naming rights to the headquarters and filming rights for expeditions
One member Julian Monroe Fisher wrote a letter to members saying: ‘The current deal is an overreaching, one-sided proposal in favor of Discovery that would irreparably impact the club’s assets, mission, reputation and legacy.’
Fisher is among members calling for a vote to be held on the deal.
Some are also muting the possibility of filing a vote of no confidence in the board, which would oust Wiese and reinstate Dennison and Taylor.