Brandon O’Brien, 35, a former personal assistant to Nancy Bass Wyden, died by suicide in May after allegedly enduring years of abusive behavior from the family’s minors. O’Brien worked for Bass Wyden, owner of Manhattan’s Strand Bookstore, from June 2022 to September 2024.
According to court documents, O’Brien’s husband, Thomas Maltezos, claims their children engaged in disturbing conduct. In September 2022, the couple’s then-10-year-old daughter allegedly exposed herself to O’Brien, made “sexually explicit” comments, and questioned his “intimate life” during school drop-offs. The suit alleges Bass Wyden failed to address the behavior.
The family’s teenage son reportedly hurled homophobic slurs at O’Brien, including “f—-t” and “zest kitten,” and threatened to have his football team “rape him.” The boy allegedly threw objects at O’Brien, and Bass Wyden once maced her son but accidentally sprayed O’Brien instead. Some incidents occurred at Disney in front of Maltezos and his mother.
Bass Wyden’s legal team has dismissed the lawsuit as “baseless and deeply misguided,” accusing O’Brien of a “documented pattern of theft” from clients, including $650,000 stolen from her credit cards. O’Brien left his position in September 2024.
After his death, Maltezos posted an emotional tribute, calling O’Brien “a quiet force of grace and loyalty.” NYPD investigators dropped a theft case against O’Brien following his suicide.
Bass Wyden has denied the allegations, reiterating claims that O’Brien was a thief. Maltezos’s attorneys condemned the family’s behavior as “shocking, disturbing, and cruel,” while Bass Wyden’s representatives maintained her innocence.