Several female employees of a company called HR Concepts LLC - a benefits administrator that employs about 50 workers - were sexually harassed by the CEO. They are suing him and the Manchester-based company for harassment and retaliation.

The women say the CEO, who was only part-owner of the company, sexually harassed them on a regular basis. They say he purposefully recruited young female employees with no or little office experience.

According to the lawsuit, the man would sneak up behind them and smell or caress their hair; he would inappropriately comment on their clothing; he spanked them with a piece of paper; and made offensive comments about one woman's breasts in front of her family.

Another notable allegation: the CEO apparently told all female employees that as a condition of their employment, they had to wear black pants, high heels and a company shirt - with no undershirt and unbuttoned in order to reveal cleavage - to a gala because there would be "lots of men" there, according to the New Hampshire Business Review.

The women say they ultimately complained about the CEO's inappropriate behavior to an HR services manager, per company policy. However, they say the company retaliated against them, firing three of the four of them.

The employees initially filed complaints with the Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but withdrew them to proceed with the U.S. District Court case.

Predictably, the CEO has denied the allegations, claiming at least two of the women left the company on their own accord.

Source: New Hampshire Business Review, "4 women allege sex harassment at Manchester firm," Bob Sanders, Sept. 1, 2011