A New York pharmacist claims she was the victim of gender discrimination when a Long Island karate center allegedly banned her for having an affair with one of her instructors.
Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg, a wife and mother of two boys, said her husband forgave her the tryst, but the karate center owner did not, according to a complaint filed with the state Department of Human Rights, according to the New York Daily News.
Fabbio-Hamelburg told the Daily News that she earned her training certificate at the Rockville Center Tiger Schulmann karate center on Long Island.
But the owner, Jobin George, banned her from the center, saying through his attorney Aaron Kleinmann it was not jealousy or puritanical zeal but her husband’s threats and frequent visits that prompted the ban.
Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg claims she was the victim of gender discrimination when a Long Island karate center allegedly banned her for having an affair with one of her instructors
Fabbio-Hamelburg said she earned her training certificate at Rockville Center Tiger Schulmann karate center on Long Island, but it was torn after the affair
According to the Human Rights Department’s complaint, George said she didn’t want her back “to protect the health and safety of the gym’s dedicated staff and students.”
Emails in the complaint show the back-and-forth between George and Fabbio-Hamelburg, showing his unease with the couple’s domestic issues.
“A mockery [sic] Husband can do crazy things and your presence makes everyone uncomfortable because your husband is a threat,” George wrote to Kristin Fabbio-Hamelburg.
Some of the other emails paint a picture of a dumped spouse complaining about Fabbio-Hamelburg and insisting he poses no threat to the karate center.
Owner Jobin George banned her from the center, saying through his attorney Aaron Kleinmann it was not jealousy or puritanical zeal but her husband’s threats and frequent visits that prompted the ban
The affair between Fabbio-Hamelburg and the karate teacher began in 2019 when she started martial arts during a special Mother’s Day class at the center
Her husband, Daniel Hamelburg, emailed the owner insisting that he posed no threat to the karate center
“I’m NOT a threat to your school. I know it looks like it,” Daniel Hamelburg wrote in the email.
“You don’t know the real me, you only see the betrayed, beat down husband I’ve become over the last two years that have been a nightmare for me.”
He admitted to raising his voice in the middle.
“To show you more of me, yes I did visit him again after my visit in August, we sat down like gentlemen in the office and I apologize for my first visit,” he wrote. “Kristin pushed me to the breaking point. It’s not fair, not only am I depressed but the kids are affected too.”
The affair between Fabbio-Hamelburg and the karate teacher began in 2019 when she started martial arts during a special Mother’s Day class at the center.
“My eldest son started training there and then there was a Mother’s Day class, so I took the class because my son asked me to,” Fabbio-Hamelburg told the Daily News. “I never thought that hitting something would be so satisfying.”
She became a certified karate instructor in 2021 and started teaching.
“It was my outlet — my stress reliever — for two and a half years until Jobin accidentally decided to fire me,” she said.
Fabbio-Hamelburg admitted the affair and occasionally met at the training center.
“We messed around at school about twice that Jobin once claimed to have a video of, but I don’t know, he was never able to produce it,” she said.
The owner eventually withdrew her certification but did not punish the instructor, with whom she had an affair, who was not named, she claimed.
Fabbio-Hamelburg added that she is traveling with her husband and would also like to train and teach at other Tiger Schulmann locations.