For Women Who Sued Firms, Alienation Followed
Some women who filed gender discrimination claims against their law firms all said they were alienated to varying degrees for speaking out and taking action about what they experienced, according to a report by Bloomberg Big Law Business.
One of those interviewed, Kamee Verdrager, was an associate at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris & Popeo when she sued the firm on claims of gender bias in 2009.
“Verdrager said Mintz Levin made specific efforts to discredit her after she filed her suit accusing them of demoting and then firing her because of her gender,” writes Stephanie Russell-Kraft. “Among other things, Verdrager alleges a male partner made sexually explicit comments toward her, and that she later received negative performance reviews because of a pregnancy.”
After firing her, Mintz Levin reported Verdrager to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers for allegedly downloading private firm documents, but the board unanimously cleared her.
The article discusses the cases of other women who had similar experiences.
