On December 3, 2012, a female partner in a law firm filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against her law firm on behalf of herself and a class of females employees of her law firm similarly situated under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e, et. seq, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 as amended by the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d). The plaintiff, represented by private counsel, alleged that defendant discriminated against female attorneys in the law firm and specifically retaliated against plaintiff for filing this class action. The plaintiff asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief; back pay, front pay, and pre-judgment interest; compensatory damages; nominal, liquidated and punitive damages; and attorneys' fees and costs.

Specifically plaintiff alleged that defendant engaged in discrimination against female partners by: [1] assigning them to lower positions in the company than similarly situated males and [2] establishing a system where women were paid less, less able to gain origination credit for new clients due to males sharing credit among other males but not with females, and less access to opportunity to pitch to new clients than similarly situated males. Further plaintiff alleged that defendant retaliated against her for filling an EEOC action by first reducing plaintiff's opportunities within the company and the creating an "intolerable work environment" and eventually by wrongfully firing plaintiff from her job in the firm.

On January 15, 2013, plaintiff filed an amended complaint noting that on January 11, she was granted the right to sue by the EEOC.

On May 24, 2013, the District Court (Judge William H. Pauley, III) entered a stipulation to dismiss the case. The parties agreed to a private settlement and the terms of that settlement have not been disclosed.

Brian Kempfer - 11/15/2013


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