Nathaniel D. Cullerton, a 45-year-old partner at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, was recorded kissing Kelsey Borenzweig, a 29-year-old associate at the same firm, on a Central Park bench. The encounter was captured by TikTok comedian Jay Guapo and shared on social media, quickly drawing attention and speculation within elite New York City legal circles.
Guapo, who has 3.5 million followers, uploaded the video on Thursday. In the clip, Cullerton and Borenzweig were seen in an intimate embrace. Guapo approached the couple, telling them to "Get a room." Both Cullerton and Borenzweig attempted to dissuade him from filming and asked him to put his phone down.
The video's circulation led to the identification of the individuals involved. Cullerton is married to attorney Moira Penza, 42, with whom he shares a $2.3 million apartment on Fifth Avenue. Penza is a partner at another top law firm, Wilkinson Stekloff, and previously served as a federal prosecutor involved in the case against NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere.
Cullerton and Borenzweig both work in the litigation department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. This spring, they were part of the legal team that represented OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a civil lawsuit brought by Elon Musk. The lawsuit, filed by Musk, accused Altman of breaking an agreement to keep OpenAI a nonprofit. Images from May show Cullerton and Borenzweig walking together into the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, during the trial.
Following the video's release, Cullerton was observed arriving at the couple's second home in Wilton, Connecticut. He was later seen returning to his Manhattan apartment, appearing stressed and avoiding questions from reporters about the video and whether his wife had seen it.
Borenzweig is reportedly in a relationship with Adam Littlestone-Luria, a judicial law clerk for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. When contacted, Littlestone-Luria stated he was aware of the video but was not comfortable discussing the matter further.
Borenzweig's parents have reportedly traveled to New York from California to visit her. They were seen with her at the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho, though the nature of their conversation and whether they are aware of the situation remains unclear.
Top law firms often discourage relationships between superiors and subordinates due to potential conflicts of interest and favoritism. Employees are typically required to disclose romantic relationships with coworkers to human resources. It is not known if Cullerton and Borenzweig's relationship, or its start date, has been disclosed to the firm's human resources department.