2008: ‘I suppose we have your honeymoon to blame for this?’
Kamee Verdrager, an associate at Mintz Levin at the time, filed suit against the firm, alleging that she was discriminated against her because of her gender and status as a wife and mother. When she complained about how she was treated, she was demoted and subsequently placed on probation. In her complaint, Verdrager alleged that when she informed a superior that she was pregnant, he responded in a “a sarcastic and demeaning manner,” saying, “I guess these things happen. I suppose we have your honeymoon to blame for this?”
As noted in a recent edition of our series, The Pink Ghetto, Verdrager was finally vindicated by a decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which found that Mintz Levin was inappropriately awarded summary judgment on Verdrager’s claims, as a “reasonable jury could infer that both her demotion and her termination were the result of unlawful discrimination.”
2008: Breaking: A Dramatic Farewell Email (And proof of Paul Hastings layoffs.)
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Shinyung Oh, a former associate at Paul Hastings, was laid off less than a week after she informed her superiors that she’d had a miscarriage. Upon learning that she was being let go, she sent out a firmwide departure memo, detailing her experience. This is just one of the many startling paragraphs from Oh’s devastating email:
After my miscarriage, I had discussed my concern with several associates that Paul Hastings may use that opportunity to lay me off quickly before I have a chance to get pregnant again. Those associates thought it unfathomable that a firm would be so callous and assured me that Paul Hastings isn’t that kind of a place. What a lesson this has been for them – and for me. I would not have anticipated that a partner would tell me one thing and completely renege on his words a week later. I would not have anticipated that a female partner (whom I had looked to as a role model) with children of her own would sit stone faced as I broke into tears just days after my miscarriage. Even a few words of sympathy or concern would have made a world of difference. What kind of people squander human relationships so easily?
(Flip through the following pages to see the rest of the most depressing stories related to women in the law over the course of the last 10 years.)
Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.