If
you’re
headed
to
a
jury
trial
against
a
sympathy-garnering
plaintiff,
you’d
better
bring
your
A
game.
DLA
Piper
rose
to
the
occasion!
They’ve
been
fighting
a
discrimination
suit
from
former
employee
Anisha
Mehta
for
over
a
year,
alleging
that
she
was
fired
because
she
took
parental
leave.
The
firm
justified
the
firing
by
characterizing
her
work
product
as
“sloppy”
and
“catastrophic”;
Mehta
answered
by
saying
the
firm’s
words
didn’t
match
up
with
their
actions
—
she
received
positive
work
reviews,
a
bonus,
and
was
placed
on
an
important
matter.
After
hearing
the
evidence,
the
jury
came
out
in
DLA’s
favor.
The
New
York
Law
Journal
has
coverage:
A
Manhattan
federal
jury
on
Monday
found
that
DLA
Piper
did
not
discriminate
against
a
pregnant
ex-associate
who
claimed
she’d
been
fired
for
requesting
maternity
leave.The
jury
found
that
Anisha
Mehta
failed
to
prove
that
the
firm
was
liable
for
discrimination
under
the
New
York
City
Human
Rights
Law.
The
panel
also
said
the
firm
was
not
liable
for
interfering
with
Mehta’s
Family
and
Medical
Leave
Act
rights
and
had
not
committed
retaliation.
…
In
opening
statements,
[DLA
partner
Brett]
Ingerman
said
Mehta
had
made
numerous
mistakes
while
at
the
firm,
including
beginning
a
trademark
infringement
action
in
Singapore
when
it
was
supposed
to
be
filed
in
Switzerland.
You
win
some,
you
lose
some.
Even
if
there
was
some
incongruity
between
the
firm’s
words
and
their
actions,
winning
a
discrimination
suit
against
an
at-will
employer
is
usually
an
uphill
battle.
Partner
and
lead
attorney
on
the
case,
Brett
Ingerman,
commented
on
the
verdict:
“I
was
proud
to
represent
the
law
firm
I’ve
called
home
for
the
last
32
years.
DLA
Piper
and
its
lawyers
are
committed
to
fostering
an
environment
that
promotes
the
family
journey.
I
believe
the
jury
saw
and
understood
that,
and
we
are
grateful
for
their
verdict.”
The
jury
might
have
bought
DLA’s
family
fostering
in
the
courtroom,
but
I’m
sure
the
parents
who
had
their
parental
leave
cut
by
six
weeks
have
some
choice
words.
I
guess
the
real
takeaway
from
this
is
that
it
isn’t
enough
to
just
mind
your
Ps
and
Qs
—
you
also
have
to
mind
your
Singapores
and
Switzerlands.
DLA
Piper
Did
Not
Discriminate
Against
Pregnant
Associate,
Jury
Finds
[New
York
Law
Journal]
Earlier:
DLA
Piper
Headed
To
Trial
Over
Firing
Of
Mom-To-Be
Major
Biglaw
Firm
Slashes
Parental
Leave
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boat
builder
who
is
learning
to
swim
and
is
interested
in
rhetoric,
Spinozists
and
humor.
Getting
back
in
to
cycling
wouldn’t
hurt
either.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at
[email protected]
and
by
Tweet/Bluesky
at @WritesForRent.