Penn Club Supervisor Says Complaint Cost Her Job

After nearly two decades at the Penn Club of New York, Natalya Bulatkina was fired following a workplace confrontation in which she used a profane word.

In a lawsuit filed Sept. 11, Bulatkina claims the club used that remark as an excuse to dismiss her after she reported construction conditions and complained of discrimination.

Bulatkina sued the Penn Club, General Manager Kevin O’Brien and Rooms Division Director Daniel Perez in Manhattan Supreme Court. Her lawsuit accuses the defendants of age and national-origin discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower violations and interference with protected leave.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

Bulatkina, who was 46 when she was fired, is originally from Ukraine. She worked as the club’s rooms division supervisor, overseeing reservations, guest check-ins and housekeeping and supervising approximately 25 employees.

The Penn Club is a private membership club affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and several other schools. Its clubhouse at 30 West 44th Street includes restaurants, event spaces and guest rooms.

The conflict began in March 2025, according to the lawsuit. Bulatkina photographed a construction area inside the club because she believed it posed a risk to guests and employees. She claims guests had to walk through the work area to reach some occupied rooms and that housekeepers also had to pass through it.

Bulatkina reported the conditions to her supervisor, Heba Elshinawy. Elshinawy then brought the complaint and photographs to O’Brien, the lawsuit says.

According to the complaint, O’Brien wanted the rooms to remain open. He allegedly told Bulatkina that “at her age” she should know better than to challenge his authority.

Bulatkina says the club then excluded her from meetings, cut her customary annual bonus in half and gave her a smaller raise than in previous years.

The dispute grew later that year when the club’s rooms division director position became vacant. Bulatkina says she temporarily performed the director’s duties while continuing to do her regular job. She then applied for the permanent position.

During her interview, O’Brien allegedly asked where she was from and whether she could manage the workload “at her age.” The club hired Perez instead. Bulatkina’s complaint describes him as younger and less experienced.

In December, the club offered Bulatkina a severance package, according to the lawsuit. She turned it down. Soon afterward, the club placed her on a 90-day performance-improvement plan. Bulatkina says the plan did not set clear goals for improving her work.

Her relationship with Perez also became strained. The complaint says he encouraged her to pray with him and told her that accepting Jesus would improve her situation at work. After she declined, Bulatkina says she was removed from the office she had used for 15 years.

In January, Bulatkina complained to a Penn Club board member about what she described as a hostile work environment. She asked the club to investigate.

An attorney hired by the club interviewed her the following month. On March 10, O’Brien told Bulatkina that the investigation had found no harassment, discrimination or retaliation, according to her complaint. Bulatkina says the investigation did not fully examine her accusations or interview the witnesses she had named.

The lawsuit also says Bulatkina asked to take Mondays off for six or seven weeks to bring her child to medical appointments. She claims O’Brien denied the request and told her to use sick days instead.

On March 13, the club gave her a warning for alleged insubordination and misconduct. Bulatkina disputed the accusations and used a profane word during the confrontation, the complaint states. Perez sent her home, and a doctor later advised her to remain out of work for two weeks.

The club suspended her without pay on March 16. During a video call two weeks later, she was told she had been fired. Her termination was made effective as of March 20.

Bulatkina and her attorney did not respond to follow-up requests for comment. Elshinawy, her former supervisor, also did not respond.

“The Penn Club has no comment regarding pending litigation and will not be commenting on personnel matters,” the club told Straus News by email.

Bulatkina’s lawsuit seeks lost pay and benefits, damages, penalties and attorneys’ fees. She has also requested a jury trial.