Photographer sues DAC, alleges sex harassment

Says she rejected her boss’s advances, saw jobs dry up

A Detroit-area photographer says she lost tens of thousands of dollars in annual photo jobs after rejecting sexual advances from her supervisor at the Detroit Athletic Club.

Cybelle Codish, whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, National Geographic, and on the album covers of numerous recording artists, as well as in the Detroit Free Press, filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court Monday against the downtown social club that caters to Detroit’s business elite.

Codish, who this year received a $25,000 Kresge Artist Fellowship for her work, alleges that Kenneth Voyles, who supervised her photographic assignments as editor of the club’s monthly DAC News, harassed her with invitations to meet for drinks, personal notes, text messages, emails, poetry and gifts.

“I want to write an essay on you from the depths of my soul,” Voyles allegedly wrote her on a card.

“You are a wonder to me, your creativity, your passion for all that you do, the sweet aura of your aurora,” Voyles told Codish in a separate handwritten note, attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit. “You are a dream to me.”

When Codish rejected his advances and complained to DAC board members, Codish alleges she abruptly lost photography work with the club that had averaged $70,000 annually since 2013 and reached $83,000 in 2018.

While Codish lost work, the DAC “failed to prevent or correct” the harassment, and instead sent Voyles to Italy as “disclipine,” the suit alleges. He later announced his retirement.