Directors Mortgage, Mark Hanna file counterclaim following sexual grooming allegation, accuse plaintiff of extortion

After a former employee of Directors Mortgage filed a lawsuit in January alleging that company CEO Mark Hanna had tried to sexually groom his 16-year-old daughter, Hanna and Directors Mortgage recently filed a counterclaim against the plaintiff that alleges extortion.

Former vice president of strategic development Anthony Levrets filed the multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Hanna and the mortgage company in Clackamas County Circuit Court Jan. 29 and Hanna filed the counterclaim in court Monday, April 8.

The original lawsuit claimed that Hanna talked with the minor about his sex life, his affinity for fellatio and losing his virginity while she served as an intern. He also invited her to stay with him on a trip to Orange County, California without telling her parents, according to the lawsuit.

However, the counterclaim alleged that Levrets had tried to extort Hanna after having financial difficulties and receiving a loan from Directors Mortgage.

“Mr. Levrets began looking for ways to beg, borrow or steal additional money from Directors to pay his debts,” the counterclaim reads, adding that Levrets had insisted that his daughter be hired as an intern. “Directors did not know, and could not possibly have known, that Mr. Levrets would manipulate and take advantage of his own daughter to try to get out of paying his debts.”

The counterclaim further alleges that Levrets asked Hanna to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in his new business and stated that he desperately needed money.

Levrets, the counterclaim reads, began threatening Hanna two weeks after he was unsuccessful in his ask for money. The counterclaim also denies Levrets claims about Hanna’s alleged inappropriate behavior toward Levrets’ daughter. It says that Hanna admits that he invited Levrets’ daughter to the business conference, however.

Levrets had claimed that he was fired from his job at Directors Mortgage after issuing a complaint about Hanna’s alleged inappropriate behavior. The counterclaim says instead that he was fired “for disloyalty to Directors and theft from the Company.”

Directors Mortgage had already filed a separate lawsuit against Levrets and his new company KneXas. This lawsuit filed in late 2023 claims that Levrets used company funds and time as he was working to start the new company.

In his lawsuit, Levrets seeks $1.5 million for loss of pay related to his termination and as much as $2 million for non-economic damages.

“Directors acted with malice, and their actions were intentional and willful. Directors further acted with reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm to Mr. Levrets and with a conscious indifference to his health, safety, and welfare,” his lawsuit reads.

In their countersuit, Hanna and Directors Mortgage asked that the court dismiss Levrets’ complaint with prejudice and award “reasonable” attorney fees to the defendants.