Lesbian Lawyer Sues Big NY Firm for Discrimination
An openly lesbian lawyer has filed suit against the big New York firm from which she says she was fired after allegedly being subjected to "repulsive harassment and discrimination" based on her sexuality.
The suit, filed by Julie Kamps, seeks $50 million and reinstatement at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson. Kamps also wants to be a partner at the firm reported a Dec. 23 article at NBCNewYork.com.
According to Kamps, one or more of the firm’s partners posted "highly negative, gay-bashing and damaging comments" regarding her, the New York Post reported in a Dec. 23 article. The suit notes that Kamps, who wears men’s clothing, "does not fit into typical feminine stereotypes," and claims that the posted comments called her "fugly," a demeaning description combining the words "fat" and "ugly." The slur was allegedly posted after Kamps filed a complaint against the firm with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission following her firing during a mediation meeting last Jan. 12.
"I have been mistreated by Fried, Frank and hope to shine a light on the differences between the firm’s official policies and what the partners actually do," claimed Kamps.
"This lawsuit has no substance and will be dealt with by our lawyers," company spokesperson Paula Zirinsky told the Daily News, which reported on the story on Dec. 23.
That story said that Kamps claims she was targeted for abuse and firing after she refused to falsify a poor evaluation in order to justify firing a fellow employee who was a minority. The article also offered two examples of the anonymously posted comments that Kamps says were written by the firm’s partners. One posting claimed that Kamps "regularly consumed over $150 worth of food at firm-sponsored lunches."
Kamps "subjected us repeatedly to looking at her hideous face," another posting said.
Text at the firms’ Web site reads, "We represent many of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions. Our strength is to deploy well-configured attorney teams with the requisite experience and expertise to meet our clients’ demands on their most challenging transactions and matters."
Kamps now lives in California along with her wife Michelle, text at Kamps’ Web site says.
