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Elite private SF club hit with explosive harassment lawsuit

A worker is suing SF private club the Battery, alleging years of harassment, discrimination and retaliation that caused severe emotional distress.

More than a dozen serious allegations have been made against the Battery, an exclusive members-only club in San Francisco, according to a lawsuit filed in the San Francisco Superior Court on Aug. 6. In the lawsuit, Rene Panti, an employee of the club, alleges that during a three-year span he was subject to many forms of harassment related to his age and visible congenital scoliosis.

Founded in 2013 on the edge of Jackson Square, the Battery is one of the city’s foremost clubs, known to host a decidedly younger and swankier clientele compared with counterparts like the Olympic and Bohemian Club. In 2021, club dues were reportedly $2,700 per year — prospective members have to be nominated by a current member.

According to the suit, the alleged hateful deluge that took place at the Battery was capped by an incident Panti says happened in front of colleagues during a fire drill, when a manager called him a “useless old man” whose “penis doesn’t even work anymore.” The suit also alleges that his co-workers repeatedly made unwanted sexual comments.

Panti, now 57, was hired in 2021 as a dishwasher and is bringing 14 causes of action against the club, ranging from harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wage violations. He says supervisors and co-workers hurled insults like “hunchback” and “crippled old man” at him for years, and that a bar manager told him he’d never be promoted because of his looks and age. He also alleges that he was touched inappropriately by co-workers — incidents Panti says were partially caught on the Battery’s surveillance cameras.

According to the lawsuit, management was aware of this behavior and did nothing.

“The Battery strongly disputes the allegations and the one-sided narrative and mischaracterization of events presented in Mr. Panti’s complaint,” Frank Kawecki, the Battery’s general manager, said in an email to SFGATE. “Mr. Panti remains employed by The Battery, and the complaint omits critical facts regarding the Company’s investigation and documented response to alleged concerns he raised during his employment.”

Kawecki says that the lawsuit distorts the facts and that the Battery “intends to defend itself vigorously and address the meritless allegations in court.”

A worker is suing SF private club the Battery, alleging years of harassment, discrimination and retaliation that caused severe emotional distress.

Panti says he told management in January 2023 about an employee verbally harassing him. His physician documented “Signs of Stress related to the work environment” that same month, the lawsuit alleges. The harassment spread to other co-workers and escalated to include inappropriate physical contact, the lawsuit says. Panti reported the employees repeatedly to HR, but none were ever disciplined, the lawsuit says. Panti alleges he had anxiety attacks at work, including one severe enough to send him to San Francisco General Hospital for overnight stabilization.

Retaliation and disability accommodations are also central in the case. Panti believes that the Battery stopped accommodating his lifting restriction after he corroborated certain other allegations made against management by another co-worker in October 2025.

“The Battery’s conduct was despicable and was carried on with a willful and conscious disregard of Mr. Panti’s rights, and subjected him to cruel and unjust hardship, and was authorized and ratified by The Battery’s officers, directors, and managing agents,” the suit says.

Panti is seeking lost wages, medical costs, punitive and exemplary damages, as well as his job back with reasonable accommodation, along with new training and policies at the club.