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Worst Holiday Office Party Ever: Bingham Associate Given Date Rape Drug?

date rape drug.jpgMichelle Moor was a first-year associate at Bingham McCutchen, and a successful one judging from this Bingham press release on a case victory. She left the firm in February for the much smaller (and lower-paying) Kotin, Crabtree Strong, after allegedly being drugged at Bingham’s holiday office party. She has filed a sex discrimination complaint against Bingham for not taking appropriate actions after she reported the incident.

From Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly:

The seven-page [Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination] complaint, which was sent to multiple newspapers yesterday evening, states that on Dec. 14, 2007, Moor attended the firm’s annual holiday party for associates at Lucia, a North End restaurant. Allegedly, after her second glass of wine, she felt “dazed and extremely disoriented.” At an emergency room that evening, the complaint says, a blood test revealed that she had ingested Tegretol, an anti-seizure medication that causes memory loss when taken with alcohol.

After the incident, another Bingham associate allegedly told Moor that she had been drugged and raped by a Bingham employee the year before, but that she had not reported the incident to the firm.

On Dec. 20, according to the complaint, Moor reported both incidents to the firm’s human resources department and asked that the firm warn other female associates.

A month later, on Jan. 17, according to the complaint, Moor attended a dinner at a restaurant with fellow Bingham employees, one of whom, a litigation specialist who worked on the same floor as Moor, made “a number of alarming sexually inappropriate comments” about “roofies” and having sex with unconscious women. The employee’s comments allegedly indicated to Moor that he “may have been the person who drugged her and may have intended to rape her while she was unconscious.”

At what kind of firm dinner does an employee feel comfortable talking about taking advantage of passed-out women?

The story is getting considerable media attention. It also appeared in the Boston Globe and the WSJ Law Blog.

We contacted Bingham for comment. Their statement, plus links to collected coverage, below the fold.date rape drug small 2 roofie Bingham McCutchen.jpg

BINGHAM MCCUTCHEN — FIRM STATEMENT

From Claire Papanastasiou, Bingham spokesperson:

We took Ms. Moor’s report extremely seriously and were disappointed that she had decided to resign from the firm. We are disappointed with this filing and we also believe there is no merit to the claims that have been made.

Ordinarily we do not comment further in connection with on-going disputes. Here, because issues of personal safety are implicated, we comment further to address only that matter.

The filing speaks of the report received by the firm that Ms. Moor unknowingly ingested a drug at a holiday party sponsored by the firm in a public setting. The firm believes that at all times it acted diligently, responsibly and fairly in connection with information it received, including gathering relevant facts and conducting an appropriate and thorough investigation. The safety of our lawyers and staff is of paramount concern to our firm.

In connection with its investigation, the firm was unable to determine who had done this or whether the source of the drug was associated with the firm in any way. However, in response to the concerns raised by Ms. Moor, and in collaboration with a safety expert, we have developed and are providing personal-safety training to equip our people with practical, safety-related advice in their professional and personal lives. We believe that this training program is a productive step in addressing personal safety for us all.

The individual that Moor suspected of drugging her also left the firm in February. We wonder where he went. To the ladies working at wherever he landed, we suggest you keep an eye on your drinks.

Update: For a more detailed response from the firm, see this internal email.

Further Update (4/13/09): The MCAD has dismissed Moor’s complaint.

Ex-Bingham associate claims she was drugged at firm-sponsored party [Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly]
Ex-employee alleges she was drugged at firm’s party [Boston Globe]
Bingham Hit With Suit Over Alleged Holiday-Party Drugging [WSJ Law Blog]

Update: A reader sent us the screencap below, from the WSJ Law Blog, with this quip: “Hooray for random ‘contextual’ ad placement!”

In case you can’t read the text of the Bingham advertisement, it says: “The best attorneys know how to balance aggression with delicate handling.”

Bingham McCutchen WSJ Law Blog ad Wall Street Journal.jpg

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