Shervin Pishevar defender reportedly says the investor couldn't have engaged in sexual misconduct at Uber party because he had a 'pony's leash in one hand and a drink in the other'
- Uber investor Shervin Pishevar attended an Uber party in December 2014 with a live pony in a Santa hat.
- Pishevar allegedly put his hand on the leg of an Uber employee and moved it up her dress without her consent, according to Bloomberg.
- But one Bloomberg source provided by Pishevar's spokesperson claims that wouldn't have been possible, as they observed Pishevar's hands were full with a pony's leash and a drink.
Uber investor Shervin Pishevar couldn't have engaged in alleged sexual misconduct at an Uber Christmas party in December 2014 because he had a "pony's leash in one hand, and a drink in the other," according to one Bloomberg source who claims to have attended the party.
Pishevar allegedly put his hand on the leg of Austin Geidt, Uber's fourth employee, and moved it up her dress during the party, according to a Bloomberg report on Friday, in which 5 other women alleged the Uber investor had engaged in sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault.
The alleged incident with Geidt wouldn't have been possible because Pishevar's hands were preoccupied, according to the anonymous source who defended Pishevar, who was referred to Bloomberg by Pishevar's spokesperson. The source told Bloomberg that she was not with Pishevar the whole evening and that she never saw Geidt at the party.
Geidt "squirmed away" following the alleged incident, Bloomberg reports. Geidt did not comment on the story.
Pishevar is the founding partner of Sherpa Capital, which has profited from early investments in the likes of Airbnb and Tumblr. He is also the CEO and cofounder of Virgin Hyperloop One, a tube-based transportation technology backed by Richard Branson.
Pishevar, who denies the allegations are true, provided emails to Business Insider showing that he and Geidt continued to exchange friendly messages after the party. When Pishevar suggested that he and Geidt have lunch in July 2015, Geidt responded: "Yup, I'd love that." Later, in 2016, Geidt emailed Pishevar to say, "I'm traveling a bit next week but would love to grab some coffee when I'm back if you're around."
In addition to the alleged incident with Geidt, five other women claim that Pishevar has engaged in other instances of sexual misconduct, Bloomberg reports. One female entrepreneur told Bloomberg that Pishevar forcibly kissed and groped her when she met him for dinner to pitch her company. Another said Pishevar showed her pictures of vaginas on his phone in a Dublin hotel room during the Web Summit conference in 2013.
A representative for Pishevar provided the following statement to Business Insider:
"Shervin Pishevar is the victim of an organized smear campaign," the person said. "Now, anonymous and untrue stories have suddenly surfaced concerning Mr. Pishevar. The assertions regarding the only person named have now been directly refuted by an eyewitness to the claimed events."
In an unrelated incident, Pishevar was arrested in London on May 27 after an allegation of rape at the Ned Hotel. He was never charged. The police wrote a letter saying they were not the source of a "report" into the allegation. Pishevar took an injunction out in London that prevented at least one UK publication, The Sun, from reporting on the arrest.
Read the full details of the allegations over at Bloomberg.