Brokeback Lawfirm: ‘Slew of Activity’ Last Friday
LEWW is ashamed to admit that we have not followed the Charney versus Sullivan & Cromwell lawsuit with the attention it so richly deserves. Fortunately, there are other bloggers who’ve got you (and us) covered regarding coverage and analysis of this complex affair in Lat’s absence.
Keeping Up With Jonas has a nice capsule summary of the three orders issued by Judge Fried in the matter yesterday, with links to the orders.
And Professor Art Leonard has this more detailed write-up.
Judge Fried denied without explanation a motion by Gera Grinberg’s attorney to have Grinberg’s deposition transcripts unsealed. Writes Leonard:
Attorney Grinberg worked closely with Aaron Charney as a fellow associate at S&C on a variety of client matters, and their close working relationship seems to have sparked the incidents upon which Charney bases his lawsuit. Grinberg was present at the meeting between Charney and S&C partners Vince DiBlasi and David Braff on January 31, the day before S&C discharged and sued Charney.There is considerable dispute between Charney and S&C about what was said at that meeting, with Charney claiming that the only written record, which would back up his account, was made by Grinberg, who then turned his notes over to his attorney at that time for safekeeping. Charney has alleged that the Grinberg notes were improperly destroyed as part of a conspiracy between S&C and Edward Gallion, a lawyer S&C had retained to represent Grinberg. Amidst the skirmishing over motions to dismiss, Grinberg submitted to a deposition focused on what occurred at that meeting, but the transcript of the deposition has been sealed, and S&C’s lawyers criticized Charney for relying on and referring to that testimony in his amended complaint.
Leonard also reports that Grinberg, who was placed on paid leave by S&C, is no longer listed on the firm website.
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First!
i think we've all officially lost interest.
Question - did Charney not only destroy his career by complaining about the poop and other comments, or did he destroy Grinberg's career too?
One has to wonder what S&C has managed to get away with now
I've revised the initial comment on my blog, having received some clarification about what was going on from an informed source.
Grinberg's attorney was actually asking Justice Fried to unseal Gallion's deposition - to which Grinberg and his attorney do not have access because Grinberg is not a "party" in the Charney cases. (In his order denying the request, Fried referred to "certain deposition transcripts" without being specific, and I had assumed that what was at issue was unsealing the Grinberg transcripts so that Grinberg would be free to use them in his own possible litigation, and that any restraint on his friend Charney using them would be lifted.)
It seems that Grinberg is not listed on the S&C website because he is no longer affiliated with the firm. And Grinberg may now be considering his own legal actions, since he did not resign his position.... Having access to Gallion's transcript could be helpful on that.
Recall that Grinberg fired Gallion as his attorney after learning that Gallion had destroyed the notes Grinberg made at the infamous Jan. 31 meeting, which notes Grinberg had given Gallion for "safe keeping." Later, this gave rise to Charney's allegations of a conspiracy between Gallion and S&C to destroy the evidence that would support Charney's account of being threatened and ordered to destroy the hard drive on his computer at that meeting. Thus, this would take S&C's claims that Charney was guilty of spoliation of evidence and turn them back on S&C, since Grinberg's notes could also be significant evidence.
In a dramatic moment in open court when Grinberg's second attorney, Gary Ireland, was present for the first time, Ireland was cut off in mid-sentence by Justice Fried when he began to refer to a disciplinary complaint... presumably filed against Gallion for allegedly taking actions contrary to his client's instructions and interest.
Perhaps most interestingly, nobody has yet seen a photograph of the elusive Mr. Grinberg....
snooze.
I think S&C wants us all to think this is boring. In fact though, it's not.
i don't think there's any question that the actual subject matter is interesting, but when weeks go by between updates, it's hard to stay engaged.
It's more pathetic than boring. Charney gets all bent out of shape over a comment about poop, and now it seems he took Grinberg down with him. Sad.
"Question - did Charney not only destroy his career by complaining about the poop and other comments, or did he destroy Grinberg's career too?"
Imagine if the poop-comment perpetrator had said that to a woman. Would anyone be suggesting she was overreacting by filing a discrimination or other lawsuit against her employer? People would be scrambling to take her side. But a gay man taking offense at it is not acceptable. It was "only one comment".
"Imagine if the poop-comment perpetrator had said that to a woman. Would anyone be suggesting she was overreacting by filing a discrimination or other lawsuit against her employer? "
Yes absolutely. In fact, women hear these sorts of things all the time. Stop being ridiculous.
ITA with 4:29. Charney gets mocked for standing up for himself simply b/c he is gay.
Isn't is possible that Grinberg just got a new job like so many others who are fleeing S&C these days? The attriction rate is unbelievebale.
4:40 - you must be S&C PR
2:55/3:50 is Charney.
4:46 is Saira Rao.
I wonder who 10:24 is. I wonder . . . (no I don't.)
10:24 is Isaiah Washington