Aaron Charney

Brokeback Lawfirm: Aaron Charney’s Hard Drive, RIP

By

H Rodgin Cohen 2 Chairman Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Sullivan Cromwell Above the Law Above the Law Above the Law ATL legal tabloid legal blog.JPGWhat’s more thoroughly trashed: Aaron Charney’s Biglaw career, or his computer hard drive? You be the judge.
Patricia Hurtado and Lindsay Fortado, of Bloomberg News, have filed an excellent report about yesterday’s court proceedings in the litigation between Aaron Charney and his erstwhile employer, Sullivan & Cromwell. Here’s an excerpt:

A former Sullivan & Cromwell lawyer who destroyed his home computer’s hard drive after being sued by the law firm must be questioned under oath about how and when he did it, a New York judge said.

The judge, Bernard Fried, ruled today after being told Aaron Charney, the lawyer, had computer professionals wipe the computer’s memory clean, took it home, smashed it with a hammer and threw it away. Charney’s attorney Michael Kennedy described the destruction of the computer’s hard drive to the judge.

Thanks to our time in the discovery salt mines, we know that computer forensic experts can pull off all sorts of miracles when it comes to data recovery. But in our non-expert opinion, it sounds like the Charney hard drive is history.
In this case, it’s not a matter of recovering a purportedly “deleted” file that still resides somewhere within the computer’s memory. Thanks to the hammer smashing and trashing, what’s needed here is a physical miracle, of the water-into-wine variety.
Another juicy tidbit from the Bloomberg News report: Charney was told by S&C, during settlement discussions, that they would “crush him like a bug” — delicious!!!
But bug-crushing is a tad cliched. Couldn’t the S&C lawyers have been more creative? Maybe they could have told Charney, “We will shred you into little bits, like a redlined draft merger agreement that has been superseded by a later version.”
More from Hurtado and Fortado — hey, we like the ring of that — after the jump.
Update (12:05 PM): Please note that we’ve appended a few additions and corrections to this post since it was originally published.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Brokeback Lawfirm: Aaron Charney’s Hard Drive, RIP”

Sign up for the Above the Law newsletter

Subscribe to our free daily email and get breaking news, commentary, and opinions on law firms, lawyers, law schools, lawsuits, judges, and more.

Brokeback Lawfirm: A Status Conference Tomorrow

By

It looks like there’s going to be a status conference tomorrow in Sullivan & Cromwell v. Charney. Here’s the docket entry:
Aaron Charney Sullivan Cromwell docket entry Above the Law.JPG
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to travel up to New York for the festivities. If you work at 60 Centre Street or nearby, and might be able to attend the proceedings, we’d be most grateful for your report.
In other Brokeback Lawfirm developments, Lavi Soloway has gotten his hands on a copy of the transcript from the last Charney v. S&C hearing. He parses it in this post. Here’s a highlight:

THE COURT: That’s a settlement meeting between Mr. Charney and persons respresenting Sullivan & Cromwell?

MR. ALTERMAN: Sullivan & Cromwell themselves before we were involved.

THE COURT: With Mr. Charney?

MR. ALTERMAN: With Mr. Charney and another witness.

THE COURT: That’s my question.

MR. ALTERMAN: And another witness represented by counsel, a secret settlement meeting when they offered him a sum of money.

Lavi Soloway wonders: “Who was the other witness? Was it Gera Grinberg, represented by Gallion & Spielvogel?”
Discussion about the “secret settlement talks” reminds us — we’ve been meaning to pat ourselves on the back. On February 2, we feverishly speculated that settlement discussions were ongoing between the parties.
When S&C’s lawsuit against Charney became widely known, it looked like we were wrong. But as it turns out, we were right, at least in part. The parties WERE in the process of trying to settle the case during the second half of that week. It wasn’t until after the talks failed, and Charney found counsel for himself, that the parties wound up at 60 Centre Street (first for a TRO hearing before Justice Charles Ramos, and then for later proceedings before Justice Bernard Fried).
White Shoe Diaries: The Charney Transcript [Soloway]
WebCivil Supreme [New York State Unified Court System]

Lawyerly Lairs: A Field Trip to Aaron Charney’s Apartment

By

On our recent trip up to New York, we dropped by the Orion — the luxury high-rise apartment building that celebrated plaintiff Aaron Charney calls home. We previously profiled Aaron’s apartment in these pages, for our Lawyerly Lairs column.
We briefly entertained the thought of entering the building, going up to the reception desk, and telling the doorman we were here to see Aaron Charney. Maybe he would then invite us up for a visit, and we could check out the extensive collection of parental photographs decorating his pad.
But then we thought that such an action might put us on the receiving end of a temporary restraining order. And Aaron is no stranger to TRO practice, having been slapped with one by Sullivan & Cromwell earlier this month.
So we just loitered outside the building for a while, and took a few photographs. Here they are:
Aaron Charney apartment 3 Above the Law.JPG
More pics after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Lawyerly Lairs: A Field Trip to Aaron Charney’s Apartment”

Brokeback Lawfirm: Presidents’ Day Newswrap

By

Aaron Charney solo firm headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Above the Law ATL.JPGHere are the latest news articles about the litigation between gay M&A lawyer Aaron Charney and his former employer, Sullivan & Cromwell:
1. Sullivan Associate Is a Right Charney [TheLawyer.com]
Scroll down to the second item. It includes a shout-out to ATL — and quotation of an anonymous ATL commenter. Might you be the person they’ve quoted?
(Also, can someone explain the article title to us?)
Update: Thanks for all of the enlightening responses.
2. Two Cases Cast Light On Charney [Gay City News]
An interesting, highly substantive article from Professor Arthur S. Leonard (whom we had the pleasure of meeting at the recent NYLS conference on writing about the law). Professor Leonard discusses two recent state appellate court decisions that were both decided in favor of the plaintiffs. Money quote:

Aaron Charney’s allegations against Sullivan & Cromwell describe similar sorts of incidents, although it seems from his complaint that the number and severity of incidents are somewhat less than [the plaintiffs in the two other cases] alleged against their employers.

On the other hand, Charney is suing under New York City’s human rights ordinance, amended in 2005 to make clear that courts interpreting the city law are not bound by rulings from other jurisdictions, and are expected to give a liberal reading to the law’s protections, especially regarding claims of retaliation.

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Brokeback Lawfirm (scroll down)

Alexandra D. Korry: A Comments Compendium

By

Alexandra Korry Alexandra D Korry Alex Korry Sullivan Cromwell Above the Law Above the Law Aaron Charney ATL.jpgWe are huge fans of the delicious Alexandra Korry, the high-powered Sullivan & Cromwell partner who figures prominently in Charney v. Sullivan & Cromwell, the lawsuit brought by gay lawyer Aaron Charney against his former employer.
In the course of our writing about this case, numerous comments have been made about Korry, a mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer renowned for her brilliance and her toughness. Here’s what the S&C website has to say about this magnficent M&A diva:

Alexandra Korry joined Sullivan & Cromwell in 1986 having done stints in journalism and commercial banking. She was elected a partner in 1993.

Interesting! We’re guessing Korry gets her (alleged) pirate’s mouth from her time in journalism, and her business acumen and shrewdness from her time in banking. Back to the S&C site:

Ms. Korry has extensive experience in representing U.S. and non-U.S. clients in a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions transactions, focusing on strategic investments, negotiated acquisitions and dispositions and joint ventures. Among her representations are Microsoft, UBS, Adelphia Communications Corporation, Eastman Kodak, Koninklijke Philips Electronics and Siderca.

Ms. Korry is active in a variety of community organizations, including the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, and is a retired member of the Board of Visitors of Duke Law School.

In light of her involvement with all of these charities and non-profit groups, we’re guessing the answer is yes to this commenter’s question about the Dalton School. Perhaps her kids are or were students there?
Okay, we’ve heard the official law firm take on Alexandra Korry. Now, let’s hear from ATL commenters.
Check out their collected remarks, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Alexandra D. Korry: A Comments Compendium”

Brokeback Lawfirm: A Runway Report (Part 2)

By

Charney S&C 028B New York Supreme Charney Aaron Charney Sullivan Cromwell Above the Law.JPG
This is a continuation of our earlier post evaluating the fashions on display last week, at the New York Supreme Court hearing in the litigation between gay lawyer Aaron Charney and his former employer, Sullivan & Cromwell.
We gave out the big awards — e.g., Best-Dressed Lawyer — yesterday. But there are still a few style prizes that have not yet been announced.
Discussion and photographs, after the jump.

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Brokeback Lawfirm: A Runway Report (Part 2)”

ATL Reader Poll: What Should Aaron Charney Do Next?

By

Aaron Charney solo firm headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett Charney Above the Law ATL.JPGIn response to yesterday’s post about Aaron Charney’s fabulous new apartment, two comments were made that caught our eye:

“Looks like Charney is going to default both on his complaint and his mortgage. Plus there’s no way he gets $820k for his condo in this market when he has to sell it. I’d say poor kid, but he brought it on himself.”

“Maybe Charney can sell the movie rights to his story or something now, since a multimillion dollar settlement ain’t happening. Alas, that movie has already been done (‘Philadelphia’). Oh well, there’s always Playgirl magazine, I’m sure they’d be happy to have him pose.”

This got us thinking: What should Aaron Charney do next?
Time for an ATL reader poll:


We’ve left an “Other” option in case any of you have suggestions for Aaron Charney’s future. Please place them in the comments. Depending upon the vote tallies, we may then hold a run-off, between the most popular of the existing options and/or the best new options that you suggest. Thanks!
Update: We dislike the idea of dignifying this with a response, but we assure you: We are NOT Loyola 2L.

Peter Lattman Really WAS Out of Town on Assignment

By

But it was much more fun to speculate that he was pulling a Judith Miller, hiding out because of his role in Brokeback Lawfirm.
As it turns out, there’s pretty much no doubt that Aaron Charney leaked the Goldman Sachs / Sullivan & Cromwell reviews to Peter Lattman and the Wall Street Journal (as if there was much doubt before). The newly available S&C motion to dismiss states, on page 8, that at the February 1 TRO hearing before Justice Charles Ramos, “Charney admitted that he had the stolen documents described in the Wall Street Journal.” Unless someone else stole the documents, and Charney just happened to stumble upon them and pick them up, his confession to possessing the stolen documents is tantamount to an admission that he stole the documents.
As for Peter Lattman and his story about the Microsoft antitrust case in Iowa — which is now “DOA,” as Lattman puts it, since the parties have settled — we do feel bad for Lattman.
The poor guy spent a week in “snowy, subzero Des Moines.” And he’s not even running for president.
Microsoft Settles Iowa Antitrust Class-Action :-( [WSJ Law Blog]
Earlier: And Lindsay Lohan Really Was Suffering From ‘Exhaustion’
Brokeback Lawfirm: The S&C Motion to Dismiss

Why Do We Love the New York Observer So Much?

By

A picture is worth a thousand words:
New York Observer Aaron Charney H Rodgin Cohen David Braff Charles Stillman Eric Krautheimer Alexandra Korry Sullivan Cromwell.jpg
We previously praised Anna Schneider-Mayerson’s great reporting. But we must also give props to the graphics team at the Observer, whose handiwork is shown above. Nice work, guys!
Random observation: David Braff and Eric Krautheimer look much younger in this photo montage than in their S&C headshots. Heck, Krautheimer looks halfway cute. But the expression on his face says, “I’m a nasty, sadistic SOB.”
Associate Gets Crushed Beneath White Shoe [New York Observer]

Brokeback Lawfirm: The S&C Motion to Dismiss

By

Aaron Charney 2 headshot Aaron B Charney Aaron Brett CharneyWe just woke up from a nice little nap, to see that we’ve been given a delightful gift from the WSJ Law Blog: a copy of Sullivan & Cromwell’s motion to dismiss. To access it, click here (PDF).
Please post your thoughts on it in this open thread. We haven’t had a chance to read it yet. But one of you advises us by email:

Dude! You’re “one commentator”! (page 7 of complaint). But they wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of citing the name of the web site!!!

No name-check. Oh well. Are the Paul Hastings and S&C lawyers too embarrassed to admit that they read this fine website?
(But hey, we’re just lowly bloggers — we’ll take what we can get.)
P.S. Here’s the language in question:

Charney’s propensity toward wholesale disclosure was succinctly summarized by one commentator, who on February 2, 2007 stated as follows “Plaintiff Aaron Charney…. is usually an INSTANT emailer…. In the past he has been very cordial and chatty with us.”

S&C Files Motion to Dismiss Charney’s Lawsuit

Lawyerly Lairs: Aaron Charney’s De-Luxe Apartment in the Sky-y-y

By

Orion 350 West 42nd Street Aaron Charney Above the Law.jpgIn Lawyerly Lairs, a recurring ATL feature, we check out the luxurious homes of prominent figures within the legal profession. If you share our addiction to real estate porn, this is a column you’re sure to enjoy.
In recent editions of Lawyerly Lairs, we’ve visited a $2.8 million mansion in Cambridge, MA, home to celebrity law professors Noah Feldman and Jeannie Suk (“Feldsuk”); a $20 million Park Avenue pad, recently sold by Cravath partner John Beerbower; and a $29 million townhouse, owned by Columbia Law professor Hans Smit (and resided in by his son, Simpson Thacher partner Robert Smit).
Today we look at a residence which, while not as lavish as these spreads, should still be of great interest to ATL readers. It’s the Hell’s Kitchen apartment of celebrity litigant Aaron Charney. It’s in a high-rise, luxury condominum building called the Orion (pictured at right).
Join us after the jump, won’t you?

double red triangle arrows Continue reading “Lawyerly Lairs: Aaron Charney’s De-Luxe Apartment in the Sky-y-y”

Brokeback Lawfirm: Gera Grinberg — Who Is This Guy?

By

Gera Grinberg Above the Law Sullivan Cromwell Gera Grinberg Aaron Charney Above the Law.JPGThe excellent New York Observer article that we mentioned earlier today, concerning the Brokeback Lawfirm litigation, contains many interesting tidbits. Anna Schneider-Mayerson, always an expert at digging up fascinating facts, has outdone herself this time. To read the entire piece, click here.
Here are some highlights that caught our attention. On the early settlement discussions:

According to a source familiar with Sullivan & Cromwell’s side of the litigation, Mr. Charney initially asked for $5 million, and Sullivan & Cromwell offered “a very small fraction” of that. Mr. Charney referred calls to his lawyers, and through its recently retained public-relations firm, Sullivan & Cromwell declined to comment.

On S&C’s countersuit:

“The debate was: ‘Would this help us or hurt us?’” said the source familiar with Sullivan & Cromwell’s legal strategy. “The downside in filing the suit was to prolong the story, to keep it on the front pages …. [But] we concluded that we were obligated to bring the lawsuit irrespective of what it did to us.”

On Sullivan & Cromwell’s latest filing, a motion to dismiss (which we’d love a copy of if anyone can send it to us):

On Feb. 13, Sullivan called on the judge to dismiss Mr. Charney’s complaint on the grounds that the case will reveal client and firm matters and secrets. In a footnote to the 22-page motion, the lawyers address Mr. Charney’s destruction of his hard drive with a snarl.

“Charney’s attempt to blame S&C for his willful destruction of material information in violation of the New York Penal Code is false, contemptible and will be addressed at the appropriate time,” the note reads.

Update (9 PM): You can access a copy of the S&C motion to dismiss via this post.
And, finally, on Aaron Charney’s ex-associate and friend, Gera Grinberg:

In his complaint, Mr. Charney claimed, he was told that a Sullivan partner referred to their friendship as “unnatural” and that another partner thought they were too close. (That Sullivan associate, Gera Grinberg, has since been placed on paid leave.)

Gera Grinberg is a central figure in the Brokeback Lawfirm saga. He’s Ennis Del Mar to Aaron Charney’s Jack Twist.
(We’re making Gera the more butch one because he’s reportedly straight. Also, based on this comment and this one, it seems that Aaron Charney was basically Gera Grinberg’s bitch.)
But unlike the other figures in this story — Eric Krautheimer, Alexandra Korry, David Braff, etc. — we know so little about Gera Grinberg. Heck, we can’t even find a photograph of the guy.
We’d like that to change. We hereby request any and all information and rumor you might have about Gera Grinberg — what he was like in law school, what he was like to work with at S&C, baby pictures, etc. Please send what you have to us by email. Thanks!
P.S. Yes, we have contacted Grinberg’s staggeringly prestigious lawyers, Gallion & Spielvogel, for confirmation that he is now on paid leave. But we don’t expect to hear back from them, since they’ve ignored most of our prior inquiries.
P.P.S. If you’re troubled by this mini-investigation into Gera Grinberg, we have three responses:

(1) Grinberg is a public figure — a major player, in a publicly filed lawsuit, that’s of great interest to the legal and gay/lesbian communities.

(2) We are all public figures now. Check out this great article, by Emily Nussbaum.

As Nussbaum writes, “The future belongs to the uninhibited.” Trying to fight the loss of privacy is a rearguard action. So just embrace it.

(3) You’re entitled to your opinion about what is or is not appropriate for us to write about. We’re entitled to ignore you. You’re entitled not to read this blog.

Remember: we’ve discovered our inner diva.

Associate Gets Crushed Beneath White Shoe [New York Observer]
Earlier: Brokeback Lawfirm: A Runway Report (Part 1)