from www.wsj.com – There is a lot to sort through in the 41-page discrimination lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group. There also are dozens of pages of exhibits with detailed statements from the three women plaintiffs.

In the complaint, one of the women, Cristina Chen-Oster, accuses a former co-worker of assaulting her after a Goldman outing to a New York strip club. The scene as described in the complaint is at variance with the famously buttoned-up, straight-edge Goldman culture.

Here is the excerpt:

In or around May 1999, Chen-Oster told her supervisor about an incident which had occurred in 1997, shortly after she joined Goldman Sachs. In the fall of 1997, Goldman Sachs sponsored a dinner for a male employee who had just been promoted to Managing Director. Part of the evening took place at Scores, a topless bar, and all employees in the group were encouraged to join. At the end of the evening, a married male Associate in her group insisted that he escort her to her boyfriend’s apartment building a few blocks away. In the hallway outside the apartment, the male colleague surprised Chen-Oster by pinning her against a wall, kissing and groping her and attempting to engage in a sexual act with her. Chen-Oster did not invite or welcome the attempt and had to physically defend herself.

The lawsuit adds that the male employee allegedly told his supervisor about the incident and apologized profusely to Chen-Oster. But the complaint alleges that the male employee was friends with the supervisor, who was also Chen-Oster’s supervisor. After reporting the alleged incident, the lawsuit says Chen-Oster began to experience “hostility and marginalization” at Goldman.

Goldman Sachs spokesman Lucas Van Praag said in a statement:

“We believe this suit is without merit. People are critical to our business, and we make extraordinary efforts to recruit, develop and retain outstanding women professionals.”