Mets Owner Steve Cohen Subject of Gender Discrimination Complaint

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is the subject of a gender discrimination complaint against his hedge fund, Point72 Asset Management, according to the New York Times' Matthew Goldstein.

"In the complaint, Sara Vavra, who led a trading group at Point72, said Mr. Cohen stopped by her office in July 2019 and began 'an abusive, expletive-ridden tirade' in which he said her work 'sucked' and she was 'stupid,'" Goldstein reported. "She said in the complaint that beyond dropping a few generic expletives Mr. Cohen also used a derogatory word for a woman's genitals."

Vavra also said in her complaint Cohen asked her to come into a colleague's office, at which point he reiterated his criticism.

Per Goldstein, Vavra also said in her complaint Cohen "verbally berated her even though her trading group was a top performer at the hedge fund and she received a positive performance review from Mr. Cohen in December 2018."

Tiffany Galvin-Cohen, a Point72 spokeswoman, provided a statement about the allegations:

"We determined that Ms. Vavra made numerous misrepresentations during her employment about things big and small and the same is true about her complaint, including the particularly offensive accusation that Steve used vulgar language when addressing her. Steve emphatically denies making this comment to Ms. Vavra at any time."

In September, Point72 settled a lawsuit with Lauren Bonner after she said the hedge fund paid her "as much as two-thirds less than her male counterparts." Bonner also said then-president Douglas Haynes wrote a derogatory term toward women on an office whiteboard.

Goldstein wrote how the suit "painted a picture of Mr. Cohen's firm as a testosterone-fueled boys' club where female employees were underpaid compared with their male counterparts and where senior male employees regularly commented on women's bodies and belittled women and their abilities in meetings."

In addition to past allegations of gender discrimination, the federal government conducted a lengthy investigation into S.A.C. Capital Advisors, which was founded by Cohen, for insider trading. The group eventually reached a $1.8 billion settlement in which it pleaded guilty. Cohen wasn't individually charged in the case.

Cohen purchased the Mets in November for $2.4 billion, a move celebrated by a fanbase burned by the Wilpon family. MLB owners overwhelmingly approved the transaction by a 26-4 vote.