Rudy Giuliani’s “alleged girlfriend” says she was subjected to ongoing “ridicule” and “humiliation” during her tenure as the co-host of the disgraced former New York City mayor’s radio show on 77 WABC, accusing billionaire station owner and deep-pocketed Trump backer John Catsimatides of implementing a craven campaign to “undermine” her position before unceremoniously firing her — via text message — for complaining.
In an eye-popping lawsuit obtained by The Independent, board-certified nurse practitioner and former hospital executive Maria Ryan claims supermarket magnate “Johnny Cats” marginalized, and eventually fired, her because she is a woman, questioning her bona fides, ignoring her suggestions, and refusing to compensate her for her appearances on the radio show.
When Catsimatidis finally agreed to start paying Ryan, he grudgingly offered her $200 per episode, “an amount significantly lower than her male counterparts and industry standards,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Ryan Saturday in New York state court.
Ryan’s suit claims she brought her complaints about the “discrimination and hostile work environment” at WABC to station President Chad Lopez, who allegedly told her “John makes all the decisions and John is a Greek man and you are a woman.”
“[T]herefore, there was no point in standing up to him,” the lawsuit states.
The married Ryan, who played a central role in Giuliani’s push to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has previously denied being romantically involved with Giuliani. The former mayor was previously caught on tape talking at length to former employee Noelle Dunphy, who is suing Giuliani over alleged widespread misconduct including sexual assault, about what he described as a two-year affair that ended only because Ryan wouldn’t leave her husband.
In an email on Saturday to The Independent, Giuliani’s security chief, Michael Ragusa, who said he had been authorized to comment on the former mayor’s behalf, said, “As I have stated to numerous outlets, Mayor Giuliani and Dr. Maria are strictly business partners,. Dr. Maria’s involvement with the mayor is purely professional, and with her extensive and impressive medical background, she also oversees his healthcare. As for Noelle Dunphy’s so-called ‘tape,’ it is merely another one of her scams and extortion tactics, similar to what she has attempted with other men rather than pursuing legitimate professional endeavors.”
Ryan’s attorney, Matthew Blit, said his client “emphatically denies any affair, sexual or otherwise. There is no tape, audio, visual or otherwise that refers to her.”
“Facing Discrimination is extremely challenging, especially for a person in a powerful position,” Blit told The Independent. “It makes the person question themselves and their accomplishments and it dissuades many people from going public and standing up for their rights. Dr. Maria is bravely taking on a very powerful person and entity. Mayor Guiliani has also retained our firm and is also considering a lawsuit to remedy the discriminatory actions which he believes were taken against him.”
Attorneys for Catsimatidis did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday, and a messages to Lopez went unanswered.
In the spring of 2021, Ryan, a board-certified nurse practitioner and former community hospital exec, began appearing as a guest on WABC’s “The Rudy Giuliani Show,” according to her lawsuit.
“Dr. Maria’s contributions focused on significant healthcare topics and discussions on the pandemic,” the suit states.
It claims listeners appreciated the “effective dynamic” between Giuliani and Ryan, who railed against the Covid vaccine and instead touted hydroxychloroquine, a livestock dewormer, as a treatment. This prompted Catsimatidis and Lopez to offer her a co-hosting slot on Giuliani’s new show, “Uncovering the Truth.”
Because Ryan was initially billed as a guest and not a co-host, she received no money for her appearances, according to the lawsuit. Eventually, Giuliani had his agent try to negotiate a compensation package for Ryan, but the suit says Catsimatidis rejected those overtures, “showing no interest in paying Dr. Maria or providing her a contract.”
After Ryan protested to Lopez, she claims Catsimatidis agreed to pay her far less than what men received.
Ryan’s suit claims she was consistently “treated as a lesser contributor compared to her male counterparts, with her suggestions often ignored in team meetings and discussions,” and that she “faced disparaging remarks about her qualifications, with Lopez questioning the legitimacy of her academic degrees.” It alleges she “was compelled to provide all four of her degrees to Lopez to validate her credentials as a ‘real’ medical provider, an experience that was both humiliating and demoralizing.”
“Despite her established professional expertise, [Ryan] faced unwarranted scrutiny… while her male colleagues were not similarly questioned,” the lawsuit claims.
According to her official bio, “Dr. Maria Ryan is an intelligent person with a brilliant perspective to solving today’s issues.”
She earned her nursing degree at NH Technical Institute in 1989, a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1994, a master’s degree from Rivier College in 1997, and a doctorate in healthcare administration from Warren National University, a so-called diploma mill that went under, in 2009.
The suit also alleges she “faced false accusations of policy violations, such as playing unauthorized music on air” – claims she alleges were “unsubstantiated” and “a pretext to undermine her role.”
In one instance, Ryan says Lopez angrily texted her during a show to admonish her for discussing Newsmax on the air.
“During a phone call to resolve the issue, Lopez became increasingly aggressive, accusing [Ryan] of being present at a dinner where the policy was allegedly discussed,” the lawsuit continues. “[Ryan] clarified that she had not attended such a dinner. Lopez, initially insistent that she was present, eventually admitted the error.”
However, Ryan claims her speaking out only served to turn her into even more of an outcast among WABC brass.
“For example, promotional materials for ‘Uncovering the Truth’ prominently featured Giuliani’s head while reducing [Ryan’s] head to the size of a postage stamp, a representation that became a source of ridicule within the station,” the lawsuit states.
Ryan says WABC’s on-air promotions gave her similar short shrift.
“Despite being responsible for the first two segments and Giuliani for the last two, the promotions consistently introduced the show with ‘Here’s Rudy Giuliani’ for all segments,” the suit alleges. “[Ryan’s] requests to start the first two segments with ‘Now, here’s Dr. Maria’ were ignored.”
Giuliani, who has faced his own hostile workplace allegations, went to bat for Ryan with Catsimatidis and Lopez “on several occasions,” according to the lawsuit. But, it claims, the two rejected the former mayor’s “legitimate complaints about the discriminatory treatment of his co-host,” and instead “retaliated against him by suspending and ultimately terminating his employment.”
The suit notes that Catsimatidis claimed later that he fired Giuliani for repeating known lies about Dominion and Smartmatic voting machines, saying he didn’t want the station to be sued. Ryan claims this was a made-up story meant to “provide cover for their unlawful retaliation” against him.
As for Ryan, she was “informed by Catsimatidis via text message that her employment was conditional, a term that had not been previously communicated, and that she was no longer allowed to appear on Giuliani’s weekday show, ‘The Rudy Giuliani Show,” the lawsuit states. “Shortly thereafter, [Ryan] was given 30-day notice of termination and informed she was off the air immediately.”
In the aftermath of their firings, Giuliani described Catsimatidis and Lopez to right-wing operative and Trump insider Steve Bannon as “dishonorable people” and “a bunch of weasels.”
Ryan’s suit alleges Catsimatidis and Lopez committed three separate violations of the New York City Human Rights Law: discrimination based upon sex, hostile work environment based upon sex, and retaliation.
She is demanding compensatory damages, punitive damages, back pay, front pay, attorneys’ fees, and a court order prohibiting Catsimatidis and Lopez from “engaging in the conduct alleged herein,” along with an award of damages “to compensate [Ryan] for emotional distress and mental anguish suffered as a result of Defendants’ unlawful conduct, in an amount to be determined at trial.”
Catsamatidis, Lopez, and WABC have not yet filed a formal response to Ryan’s allegations.