EXCLUSIVE: Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy demands former Strive Asset Management VP Joyce Rosely's lawsuit be dismissed after she claimed she was fired for flagging sexual harassment

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has fired back at a former employee who claims she was unfairly booted out of her top role after raising concerns about sexual harassment and alleged illegal activity at his firm and is demanding her lawsuit be tossed, DailyMail.com can reveal.  

Joyce Rosely, 53, was fired from her post as executive vice president at 'anti-woke' Ohio-based company Strive Asset Management, where Ramaswamy had served as chairman before stepping down to pursue his presidential bid in February. 

In a complaint filed in early August obtained by DailyMail.com, Rosely - who joined the firm in August 2022 - claims was she abruptly dismissed from her $250,000-salary role earlier this year after complaining about Strive's alleged illegal security sales as well as COO Ben Pham's inappropriate conduct with a new lower level staff member. 

The lawsuit - in which Ramaswamy and co-founder Anson Frericks are named as defendants - also alleges age discrimination, claiming Rosely was one of three executives over the age of 50 who were let go as part of the company's sudden 'reorganizing' plan. 

Vivek Ramaswamy is demanding a judge dismiss a lawsuit filed by Joyce Rosely (left) who was fired from her role as executive VP at Strive Asset Management in March 

Rosely, 53, is suing Strive co-founders Anson Frericks (left) and Ramaswamy, claiming she was abruptly fired after raising concerns about COO Ben Pham's (pictured) alleged sexual harassment towards a new lower-level female staff member 

In a response filed on October 5, attorneys for the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur slammed the suit as 'bare accusations' that have no 'direct or circumstantial evidence' to support Rosely's claims, and demanded the case be dismissed. 

They are also requesting the case be moved from New Jersey - where Rosely is based - to Strive and Ramaswamy's home state of Ohio.

The asset management firm was founded in early 2022 and was backed financially by Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Peter Thiel, a billionaire German-American conservative libertarian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and political activist.

Rosely claims she was informed that a new female employee, Shelby Fulton, had told a colleague that COO Ben Pham (above) had been romantically pursuing her in an 'aggressive manner'

Strive, which has branded itself as 'anti-woke', was created as an alternative to other investment companies like BlackRock, with the specific goal of staying clear of political involvement.

According to the lawsuit, almost immediately after joining the firm, Rosely had 'faced demands from Frericks and Ramaswamy to violate applicable securities laws'.

Among them, she claims, were utilizing 'non-compliant material that improperly promised future investment returns,' instructing new hires to engage in sales before their licenses had been transferred, and 'creating deal books and soliciting business on investment products before those products were registered and actively traded.'

The documents accuse Ramaswamy and Frericks of being 'unlawfully engaged in securities sales activities' themselves, 'despite the fact that neither has a securities license', with the GOP candidate allegedly using his X account for such matters. 

Rosely claims she and fellow former colleague Jeff Nye had 'repeatedly objected' to engaging in the 'unlawful conduct' in conversations with Frericks and Ramaswamy.

In the filing obtained by DailyMail.com, Rosely claims her abrupt dismissal was retaliation for her complaints

Then in January, Rosely would raise concerns over a separate 'potentially legal liability' for the company after learning that a new female employee, Shelby Fulton, had told Nye that COO Ben Pham had been romantically pursuing her in an 'aggressive manner,' according to the documents. 

Strive's website still lists Fulton as the firm's director of business development and it is unclear from the lawsuit what resulted from Pham's alleged advances.  

Rosely claims she reported the issue to Head of People Strategy Laura Brady, admitting that she herself had witnessed interactions between Pham and Fulton when they traveled together and found them 'very uncomfortable to observe.' 

In response, Brady instructed her to 'keep an eye on them and report back,' the papers state. 

But according to the complaint, 'Brady nor anyone else acting on behalf of the company did anything to deter Pham from pressuring a newly-hired subordinate into a sexual relationship.' 

She claims she confronted Pham directly about why Fulton was 'repeatedly traveling with him unnecessarily,' only for the COO to tell her to 'mind her own business.'

When she brought the issue up with Frericks, the filing claims, 'his only response was that it was none of his business.

About two months later on March 21, Rosely claims she met with Frericks and Brady, who 'summarily dismissed her with no prior notice or warning.'

'The only explanation that they provided to Ms. Rosely was that the company was 'reorganizing', and as a result, there was 'no longer a position' for her,' the complaint states. 

The ousted executive also claims that her firing was motivated, in part, by her age.

Rosely, who was 52 at the time, Nye, 54, and Regional Sales Director John Phillips, 53 - the only Strive employees over the age of 50, were all the laid off on the same day - as well as Senior Vice President and Regional Sales Director J.P. Towey, 40. 

The ousted executive, who is from New Jersey, also claims that her firing was motivated, in part, by her age

The asset management firm was founded in early 2022 by the presidential hopeful and Anson Frerick (pictured together) and has branded itself as 'anti-woke'

Curiously, Rosely also claims that Ramaswamy traveled to the company's headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, the day after her contract was ripped up where he reportedly briefed staff about her firing.

'We had to do this,' the lawsuit quoted him as saying, alleging he was still involved in the day-to-day running of Strive.

Two weeks later, Ramaswamy allegedly appeared at the firm's offices again to announce the appointment of Matt Cole as the new chief executive officer.

He had announced in February that he was stepping down as executive chairman to focus on his White House bid.

The Strive founders' lawyers want Rosely's case to be moved from New Jersey to Ohio where the firm is based and where Ramaswamy still lives.

Failing that, they called on the New Jersey judge, Julien Neals, in their letter filed last week to throw out her claims completely.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Strive spokesperson said: 'The allegations in the Rosely matter reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of Strive's business practices from an individual who underperformed in her role at the company. 

'This suit is just part of the next round of attacks directed at Strive as it surpasses all growth expectations. As Strive continues to succeed with the contrarian position to protect and preserve Shareholder Primacy across Corporate America, we expect nothing less than for opponents of our important mission to increasingly strike back. 

'The firm maintains its position on these matters and will vigorously defend itself in court.' 

Joyce Rosely failed to reply to DailyMail.com's request for comment. 

Strive Asset Management is a self-styled activist investment firm that states its aim is to pressure companies to abandon environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives.

In a response filed on October 5, attorneys for Ramaswamy slammed the suit as 'bare accusations' that have no 'direct or circumstantial evidence' to support Rosely's claims, and demanded the case be dismissed

Ramaswamy has continuously railed against what he calls 'woke' investment policies during his tilt for America's top job.

And the Rosely lawsuit is the latest legal headache for the biotech entrepreneur.

He could be forced to testify under oath in New York as part of a separate legal case being heard in Bermuda, a tax haven.

A group of angry investors in another Ramaswamy venture want him to testify under oath because they believe they were short-changed in a merger deal.

Lawyers for Alpine handed Ramaswamy a subpoena to appear and be quizzed at their offices in New York, a move his attorneys have likened to harassment.

Their plan was to grill the GOP's rising star over his role in the $1.7billion buyout of Myovant Sciences in March of this year.

They are also asking him to cough up documents that they claim could boost their chances of winning their court case in the British territory, which was filed in February.

Ramaswamy's attorneys have lodged repeated motions to delay his participation in any deposition, arguing he is too busy with his presidential bid.

A spokeswoman for Ramaswamy's 2024 presidential campaign declined to comment.