(Reuters) - A handyman at a Manhattan apartment building is suing his supervisor, claiming his boss called him a "midget," slapped him and pasted pictures of dwarfs on his locker, according to his court complaint. Juan Pablo Pichardo said in the lawsuit in state Supreme Court that he was bullied about his height by his supervisor, Moises Guimet, in an effort to force him to quit.
"The management has not done anything to stop these actions," the lawsuit said, adding that Pichardo's requests for a transfer were "unreasonably denied."
Pichardo, who lives in the city's Queens borough, is seeking unspecified punitive damages, past salary and compensation for pain and suffering over what he called a "hostile work environment."
It was not clear from the lawsuit if he still worked at the building, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The complaint also does not reveal his height, but building residents interviewed by local media say Pichardo is roughly 5 feet tall.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, also accuses the building's management company, Rose Associates, of discrimination. Rose referred calls to a public relations firm, which did not respond to requests for comment.
Guimet could not be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Steve Gorman)
