A former broker at Cushman & Wakefield has filed a discrimination suit against the real estate firm in New Jersey, alleging that it fostered an “old boys’ club” culture of misogyny and "condoned the unequal treatment of women and minorities."

Christine Eberle, 49, alleges that she was harassed and subjected to a hostile work environment during her tenure as an industrial broker at Cushman's office in East Rutherford. In her lawsuit, Eberle claims she was unlawfully terminated this year after repeatedly complaining to upper management about alleged incidents involving bullying and sexism.

The suit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court in Morristown, names as defendants: Cushman; Peter Bronsnick, now Cushman executive managing director and managing principal for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware; Bill Waxman, a Cushman vice chairman; and David Gheriani, a Cushman executive director.

Cushman denies Eberle's allegations, in both a 39-page response it filed in court and in a statement Thursday. The brokerage maintains she was fired for cause because she misused and improperly disclosed confidential company data. It also alleged she has failed to repay a $750,000 company loan.

“We dispute the facts and circumstances as set out in the complaint and will defend ourselves accordingly," a company spokesman said in an email to CoStar News. "Cushman & Wakefield is committed to building a diverse and engaged workforce and supporting an inclusive environment through policies which prohibit discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace.”

The attorney for Cushman and the other defendants, Blythe Lovinger, referred all questions to the brokerage.

Eberle, a veteran of the National Guard and divorced mother of three, joined Cushman in 2021, following her mentor Mindy Lissner and Waxman out of brokerage CBRE. Eberle served as a managing director with Cushman's Industrial Brokerage Service Group. In the Garden State, industrial leasing has been a very active sector because of New Jersey's location in a densely populated area near major airports and seaports.

Eberle's lawsuit alleges that when she and Lissner started winning a lot of business together, Waxman became "inflamed" and started harassing and micromanaging her.

"By way of some examples, Mr. Waxman constantly called plaintiff, regularly barged into her office, frequently screamed and cursed at her and would always slam doors," according to the suit. "When he was not ranting and berating her, he would pace outside of her office."

At times, Eberle saw Waxman bring several female co-workers to tears, and he "made fun of his female subordinate’s weight and regularly humiliated many other female subordinates," the 44-page lawsuit alleges.

Waxman also made racist remarks and sexual innuendos regarding Asian women to Eberle, according to the suit. She is half Korean, it said.

Eberle repeatedly went to Bronsnick to complain, and he referred the matter to Cushman's human resources department, to no avail, according to the suit. Last September, when Eberle felt Waxman's behavior was escalating, she complained to Bronsnick again.

He told her she "was not a 'proven entity' because she has not made enough money in this business yet to support her attitude and needs to 'dial it back,'” the suit said. He advised her to leave Lissner and Waxman's industrial team, and she did in early December. During that meeting, the lawsuit alleges, Bronsnick also made an off-color remark to Eberle.

"The HR investigation ended after two or three weeks," the suit said. "Mr. Waxman was never suspended or placed on 'administrative leave' during the pendency of the investigation."

By contrast, in its court filing Cushman said it conducted an internal investigation and appropriate corrective action was taken.

Eberle's attorney, Gina Mendola Longarzo, told CoStar News that Bronsnick was promoted this summer, from his former position as executive managing director and managing principal for New Jersey.

In February, Cushman put Eberle on administrative leave while being investigated for alleged misconduct. She didn't get a response when she asked for an explanation, according to the suit. She was fired effective July 2.

In its filing, Cushman denied the allegations made in Eberle's suit. In part, it said that Waxman "was personally invested in her success on the Lissner/Waxman Team (as were the rest of the individuals on the Lissner/Waxman Team)."

Waxman "has supported the professional success of women his entire career, including his partner, Ms. Lissner, with whom he has worked for over a decade," according to Cushman's filing.

The brokerage said it "is committed to building a diverse and engaged workforce and supporting an inclusive environment," adding, "further, women are consistently recognized and promoted throughout defendant Cushman & Wakefield."

The brokerage also charged that Eberle uploaded its confidential information into a software program called Navigator, misappropriating the data. In her lawsuit, Eberle denies any wrongdoing.

In its legal papers, Cushman also said that it loaned Eberle $750,000 that she was required to immediately pay back, with accrued loan interest, upon her termination. She has failed to do that, according to the brokerage.

Eberle's lawyer Longarzo responded to Cushman's filing in an email to CoStar News.

"When we establish that she was not properly terminated for cause but for pretextual and retaliatory reasons, she will not owe same," Longarzo said. "They can also deduct it from the millions she will be owed by their destruction of her career. ... Not only were her harassers never suspended or terminated, one of them, Bronsnick, was actually promoted and rewarded since we filed."