The Invisalign founder is suing a former employee for $500 million after she spoke at a congressional hearing about a rape he maintains was consensual hard sex.
Zia Chishti, 50, claims Tatiana Spottiswoode, 29, wrote him ecstatic texts regarding their S&M sex sessions involving a $510 Hermes riding crop and a $550 leather collar from the same brand.
Tatiana Spottiswoode, 29, an ex-employee of Afiniti, alleges that Chishti, 50, groomed her when she was 21 and abused her after she joined the company in 2016, when she was 23.
Last year, she told a Congressional committee that Chishti told her ‘he should have had sex with me when I was thirteen’ and plotted to get her away from her parents, who were his friends.
However, Chishti, the entrepreneur who established the company responsible for Invisalign dental braces, is now suing her over the allegations, which he maintains were entirely voluntary.
His career and reputation are in ruins due to the evidence provided by Spottiswoode. Chishti’s case is a landmark since it is the first time anyone has ever been sued for congressional testimony.
Spottiswoode’s testimony was in response to a subpoena. Chishti is suing her for allegedly defamatory comments made during communications with attorneys about the case and on social media afterwards.
Zia Chishti is suing an ex-employee for $500 million after she told a Congressional committee that he ‘raped and groomed’ her – a claim he disputes and asserts was the result of a significant relationship.
Tatiana Spottiswoode claims that Chishti, 50, groomed her when she was 21 and abused her in 2016 after she joined his firm.
As a result of Spottiswoode’s charges, he was fired from his position as CEO of the multibillion-dollar AI startup Afiniti, where Princess Beatrice worked.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron resigned from his position as a consultant for Affinity in response to the allegations.
Chishti, who was previously ranked among People magazine’s top 50 bachelors, is claiming $500 million in compensation for financial and psychological harm to himself and his wife, Sarah Pobereskin.
His lawsuit alleges that he and Spottiswoode were “in love” and that she “effectively weaponized” their “consensual” affair in Congress.
According to court filings, a “defining characteristic” of their sexual relationship was the “sharing of minor scratch, bite, whip, and scratch marks.”
Spottiswoode published photographs of these scars and asserted that they were inflicted against her will; Chishti asserts that they were the consequence of harsh sex activities she requested he participate in.
Spottiswoode used a $510 Hermes riding crop and a $550 Hermes leather collar bracelet in the bedroom, according to his claim.
The lawsuit argues, “This necessitated an elevated level of faith, both that they would not exceed consent and that the resulting marks would not be misappropriated as an indicator of lack of permission.”
He asserts that Spottiswoode introduced “hard sex” by using a $510 Hermes riding crop and a $550 Hermes leather collar bracelet in the bedroom.
Included in the case is a photograph of Chishti and Spottiswoode (shown second and third from the right) on a night out with coworkers, during which the multimillionaire says she ‘flirted’ with him.
James Spottiswoode and his daughter Spottiswoode are named as defendants in the complaint, along with their attorneys Nancy Erika Smith, Edward Johnsons, and Michael Zweig.
Chishti asserts that Spottiswoode “deliberately deceived and mislead Congress while under oath” and that she “falsely testified” that he was a “rapist, pedophile, and probable murderer.”
The lawsuit alleges that while they previously ‘loved each other,’ Spottiswoode ‘lied’ to undermine Chishti’s’reputation’ and emotionally and financially harm him and his family.
In addition, he accuses her of inventing the allegations in order to “advance her personal and financial interests,” alleging that at one point he believed they would be married.
Last year, Spottiswoode, who is now a law student at Columbia University, told Congress: ‘I went to his room, where he beat me while having sex with me. When I told him he was hurting me, he responded, “Good.”
The lawsuit also included a number of text exchanges that Chishti claims prove their encounters were consensual, including one in which she states, “leave something to the imagination” with a winking emoji.
Spottiswoode submitted the panel of the House Judiciary Committee with photographs depicting the bruising Mr. Chishti had left on her neck.
I hid in my hotel room till the following morning. My body was covered in wounds, scrapes, and bruises.
I had bruises on my neck that resembled strangulation, a massive lump on my head, and a black eye.
“A hospital nurse informed me that I exhibited indications of a concussion,” He told me he should have had sex with me when I was 13 and we first met.
The lawsuit also includes other text exchanges that Chishti claims demonstrate that their encounters were consensual, including one in which she uses a winking emoji to suggest, “leave something to the imagination.”
It continues, ‘This is the same riding crop that Ms. Spottiswoode wanted me to use with her as a sexual prop in Miami, resulting in markings on her behind and back.
Spottiswoode and her father, James, as well as the attorneys who have represented the father and daughter, are named as defendants in the complaint. Nancy Erika Smith, Edward Johnsons and Michael Zweig
Princess Beatrice was urged to leave the scandal-plagued Afiniti software company. Chishti was accused of rape and other forms of sexual harassment.
Ms. Spottiswoode made clear in her planning that she desired a sexual encounter, stating that she was “looking forward… to being seduced and slowly undressed.”
At the time of the congressional hearing, Spottiswoode stated that she feared the repercussions of her outspokenness.
She went on to describe a terrible work environment, stating that he alternated between sex pressure and punishment.
She stated, “During a business meeting in Dubai, he placed his hands down my pants and grabbed my but in front of my coworkers.”
Spottiswoode continued by describing a further business trip to Brazil, stating, “I avoided him as much as I could, but he exerted growing pressure on me.”
I began to fear that Chishti, in addition to desiring sex, also desired to inflict pain and punish me for refusing him.
In addition, he accuses her of inventing the allegations to “advance her personal and financial interests,” stating that at one point he believed they would be married.
The lawsuit asserts that while they formerly ‘loved each other,’ Spottiswoode ‘lied’ to ruin Chishti’s’reputation.’
The session was part of a congressional effort to pass a bill that would prohibit corporations from requiring arbitration for sexual assault claims.
Spottiswoode was compelled to sign one, but since then, the bill has advanced with bipartisan support and has been signed into law in March.
Chishti told Politico that he has “nothing to lose” after being forced to quit his job and having “no legitimate employment prospects going forward.”
Nancy Erika Smith, the attorney who represented Spottiswoode prior to her testimony and who is listed in the lawsuit, stated that Spottiswoode had already won the arbitration required by Afiniti.
She stated, “According to our interpretation of the law, congressional testimony is privileged.”
“We will react with motions to dismiss this frivolous and harassing lawsuit on multiple grounds, not the least of which is that these allegations have already been decided against Chishti in the forum he chose: forced arbitration.”
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