Two executives at a New York business-financing company allegedly called a salesman a “cheap Jew,” mocked him for wearing a yarmulke and fired him after he challenged what he said were missing commissions, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.
Andrew Shiffman, of Nassau County, N.Y., sued Straight Line Source Inc., Ali Mayar and Michael Hacker, who were acting “directly and indirectly in Straight Line’s interest,” in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging violations of federal and state wage laws, retaliation and unlawful deductions.
Straight Line Source, based in Uniondale, provides working-capital products and business loans and works with banks and other lenders that pay the company fees and points when transactions are funded, according to the complaint and the company’s website.
Shiffman, who was hired as a commission salesperson in November 2024, alleges that Straight Line Source agreed to pay him 20% of the compensation it received on new business he originated and 15% on renewals. He claims the company withheld or understated the amounts it received from lenders, resulting in substantial commission shortfalls.
In one example, Shiffman alleges that Straight Line Source received $1.5 million on a $15 million loan renewal in January 2026, which would have entitled him to a $225,000 commission. He says the company paid him $27,500.
After Shiffman challenged his compensation and requested records to verify the commissions, Mayar and Hacker allegedly called him a “clown” and a “cheap Jew,” mocked him for wearing a yarmulke at work and threatened to take away all of his commissions if he continued complaining, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit also alleges that the executives showed Shiffman “a false invoice to conceal the compensation Straight Line actually received.”
Straight Line Source terminated Shiffman on March 25, according to the complaint, telling him he lacked sufficient new business. Shiffman alleges the reason was pretextual, noting that he had about $1.1 million in loans in his pipeline at the time.
The complaint seeks unpaid wages and commissions, damages and other relief. Shiffman is also seeking a jury trial.
