Louis Lehot
Earlier this month DLA Piper partner Vanina Guerrero, penned an open letter to the firm and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in which she alleges the co-managing partner of the firm’s Silicon Valley office, Louis Lehot, repeatedly sexually assaulted her, beginning shortly after she began working for the firm in 2018 and asking to be released from the firm’s forced arbitration agreement so she’d be free to pursue her claims in open court. Initially the firm said they were investigating the allegations against Lehot, but now, before said investigation is complete, the firm has parted ways with Lehot.
As reported by Law.com, in an email sent to attorneys and staff, the firm said they “remain steadfastly committed to our zero-tolerance policy for harassment in the workplace,” and revealed that Lehot was pushed out of the firm:
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“We are saddened that this type of allegation has arisen at our firm,” the email said, regarding partner Vanina Guerrero’s allegation that Lehot sexually assaulted her multiple times after recruiting her to join the firm.
“Despite the fact that the allegations have not been substantiated by the investigation to date, the firm has concluded for various reasons that it is in the best interest of the firm that we part ways with Louis Lehot,” the email said. “We understand and share the deep concern about this matter, and would like to be in a position to share more detailed information. This is an ongoing legal matter, however, and therefore we cannot share further details.”
While Guerrero’s lawyer, Jeanne Christensen of Wigdor LLP, appreciates this “first step,” she also points out the firm’s notable silence on whether they intended on forcing Guerrero into arbitration:
“But DLA Piper has said nothing about releasing Ms. Guerrero from forced arbitration,” Christensen said. “This continued silence means DLA Piper intends to enforce the provision. It needs to explain why.”
DLA Piper has been under pressure for their stance on mandatory arbitration for a while now. Law students have organized an online campaign urging fellow law students to #DumpDLA over their mandatory arbitration policy and there have been repeated protests in front of their offices over the issue. We’ll be following along to see if the firm does decide to reverse course on the issue.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).