Proceeding
under
the
name
Jane
Doe,
a
former
associate
at
DLA
Piper
has
filed
suit
alleging
that
Brian
Biggs,
then
a
partner
at
the
firm,
raped
her
and
later
escalated
the
violence
by
breaking
into
her
home
and
strangling
her.
The
complaint
paints
a
grim
picture
of
how
power
imbalances,
silence,
and
allegedly
known
misconduct
can
metastasize
into
something
far
more
dangerous.
According
to
the
lawsuit,
Doe
began
working
at
DLA
Piper
in
2021.
Almost
immediately,
she
alleges,
Biggs
pressured
her
into
drinking
heavily
with
him
and
into
a
sexual
and
romantic
relationship.
This
was
not,
the
suit
emphasizes,
a
relationship
between
equals.
Biggs
was
not
only
a
senior
partner,
the
complaint
also
alleges
he
was
her
professional
mentor,
holding
significant
sway
over
her
career
trajectory.
Doe
also
alleges
Biggs
told
her
that
“her
first
priority
was
to
socialize
with
him
and
placate
him
sexually
at
the
expense
of
her
work
and
professional
obligation.”
The
complaint
alleges
that
Biggs
systematically
isolated
Doe
from
others
at
the
firm
over
an
extended
period,
cutting
her
off
from
colleagues
and
support
systems.
As
per
the
complaint,
“Biggs
insisted
that
he
was
Plaintiff’
only
ally
in
the
Firm,
that
other
partners
within
the
practice
group
(a)
could
not
be
trusted,
(b)
were
not
fans
of
Plaintiff’s
work,
and
(c)
looked
upon
her
less
favorably
than
he
did.”
That
isolation,
the
suit
claims,
culminated
in
an
alleged
rape
in
December
2022
inside
the
firm’s
Wilmington
office
and
later
breaking
into
Doe’s
home
and
attempting
to
strangle
her.
Doe
alleges
she
suffered
from
PTSD
as
a
result
of
Biggs’s
action
and
eventually
forced
her
to
resign.
The
complaint
alleges
that
this
behavior
was
not
an
aberration.
According
to
the
suit,
Biggs
“had
a
history
of
sleeping
with
his
female
subordinates,”
and
that
this
history
was
known
to
his
partners
at
the
firm.
The
lawsuit
asserts
claims
against
DLA
Piper
for
hostile
work
environment
based
on
sex,
quid
pro
quo
sexual
harassment,
and
retaliation,
all
arising
from
Biggs’s
alleged
conduct
as
a
partner
of
the
firm.
It
also
brings
a
separate
count
of
assault
and
battery
against
Biggs
individually.
A
DLA
spokesperson
said,
“The
firm
was
notified
in
January
2025
of
a
romantic
relationship
between
a
partner
and
an
associate,
which
we
investigated
promptly.
The
associate
made
no
allegations
of
rape
to
the
firm.
Following
the
firm’s
review,
the
partner
immediately
withdrew
from
the
firm;
the
associate
remained
employed
at
the
firm
until
she
resigned
on
December
12.
We
will
address
this
lawsuit
through
the
appropriate
channels.”
According
to
reporting
by
Bloomberg
Law,
DLA
Piper
hired
an
attorney
know
for
crisis
management
work,
Seyfarth’s
Camille
Olson,
after
they
were
notified
of
Doe’s
allegations.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
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