Fatal Attraction: Was The Biglaw Associate Accused Of Abuse Actually The Victim?
A Biglaw associate, accused last month by his ex-girlfriend of stalking, claims that SHE is the abuser and the stalker. Who's telling the truth?
One of the biggest Biglaw stories of 2014 so far has been the lawsuit filed by Angela Kovalesky against her ex-boyfriend, New York lawyer Samir Tabar. The beautiful blond Kovalesky alleged that Tabar physically abused her, threatened her with a knife, and stalked her — by dropping a dog tracker into her purse, among other things.
These allegations didn’t sit well with Tabar’s employer, Schulte Roth & Zabel. Not long after the filing of Kovalesky’s salacious suit, SRZ terminated Tabar’s employment. His impeccable pedigree — Oxford, Columbia Law, and Skadden Arps, plus some time in finance — couldn’t save him from the ax.
But what if turned out that the allegations were fabrications? What if it turned out that Kovalesky, not Tabar, was the actual abuser? What if it turned out that Kovalesky was, well, a psycho ex-girlfriend — about as sane as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction?
AI Presents Both Opportunities And Risks For Lawyers. Are You Prepared?
This is, in a nutshell, what Tabar alleges, in his answer and counterclaims in Kovalesky v. Tabar. And it’s what his new gorgeous girlfriend — actually, his fiancée — also asserts, in her own lawsuit against Angela Kovalesky….
Here’s a report on today’s filings, from the New York Post:
The DJ fiancée of a Ivy League lawyer who was sued for harassing his former girlfriend filed a $175,000 countersuit against the spurned woman on Monday, claiming she cyber stalked the couple to Bali where they were enjoying a romantic getaway. Buxom brunette party DJ Scarlett Etienne stands by her man, New York attorney Samir Tabar, in her new slander suit against Angela Kovalesky….
Etienne said Kovalesky, of Brooklyn, is the real stalker, who tracked the international DJ on Facebook and Instagram, and made harassing phone calls to her Indonesian hotel last spring, threatening to “disrupt Etienne and Tabar’s lives if they did not pay her $1 million and end their relationship,” according to court papers.
Sponsored
Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
AI Presents Both Opportunities And Risks For Lawyers. Are You Prepared?
Law Firm Business Development Is More Than Relationship Building
Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
The allegations in the complaint of Scarlett Hauck (who DJs under the stage name of Scarlett Etienne) are echoed in Sam Tabar’s answer and counterclaims. We’ve posted all the filings on the next page. Definitely check them out; they’re riveting reading (especially the exhibits, which include emails and social-media postings).
Tabar and Etienne paint a picture of Angela Kovalesky as a violent, profane, angry ex-lover — not what one might expect from someone who works for the Archdiocese of New York as a fundraiser for parochial schools. Tabar alleges that Kovalesky physically attacked him in a hotel room; destroyed property of his, including multiple cellphones; and referred to female friends of his, both love interests and Platonic friends, by all sorts of awful names (“slut,” “whore,” and “Jew turd,” among others).
On a more frivolous and perhaps politically incorrect note, reading through the exhibits I couldn’t help but be surprised at how two attractive and accomplished women were basically fighting over a Biglaw associate. Check out the photos of Scarlett Etienne and Angela Kovalesky, via the New York Post:
With all due respect to Biglaw associates, who are a core part of our audience here at Above the Law, high-end hotties tend to target the partners. Yes, exceptions can be made for very handsome male associates — but while Samir Tabar is reasonably attractive, he’s no Zachary Warren.
I couldn’t help wondering if Tabar comes from family money. If you read through the filings, including the exhibits, you’ll learn that he spends quite freely — for example, to replace property allegedly damaged or destroyed by Kovalesky, or to travel, from Burning Man to Bali. He seems to live a very “jet set” lifestyle, especially for an associate, which might represent part of his appeal to the ladies. (Perhaps he made a bundle during his years in banking? Now 42, he’s on the older side for an associate.)
Sponsored
Happy Lawyers, Better Results The Key To Thriving In Tough Times
Generative AI at Work: Boosting e-Discovery Efficiency for Corporate Legal Teams
What does Angela Kovalesky have to say about today’s court filings? Her attorney, James Ingoglia of Raiser Kenniff, issued this statement to ATL:
Unfortunately, Ms. Etienne/Hauck has decided to support her fiancé Mr. Tabar by filing a meritless companion suit riddled with false allegations against Ms. Kovalesky. Any problems that Ms. Etienne suffered during her time with Mr. Tabar are a result of Mr. Tabar and his misconduct alone. Ms. Kovalesky, who has also suffered considerably from her relationship with Mr. Tabar, never had any direct contacts with Ms. Etienne, aside from a brief meeting in 2012 when Mr. Tabar presented her to Ms. Kovalesky as the “girlfriend” of his brother. The allegations that Ms. Kovalesky actively stalked Ms. Etienne online via social media are a complete fiction. Once the full evidence is presented in court, the damages Mr. Tabar inflicted, and continues to inflict, on Ms. Kovalesky will be evident.
We look forward to both parties getting their day in court. We haven’t seen a he-said/she-said legal battle this juicy since Marchuk v. Monteverde. Just like in the Marchuk case, someone is lying here — big time — and it will be fascinating to find out who.
(Flip to the next page to check out today’s filings, in all of their gory glory. They’re lengthy, but worth it. Definitely don’t overlook the exhibits….)
