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Decide tosses fired affiliate’s go well with alleging…
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Decide tosses fired affiliate’s go well with alleging WilmerHale discriminated primarily based on his Cameroonian origin
By Debra Cassens Weiss
August 7, 2025, 2:47 pm CDT
A fired affiliate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr received’t have the ability to pursue his October 2023 lawsuit in opposition to the legislation agency and a former counsel who labored there. (Picture from Shutterstock)
A fired affiliate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr received’t have the ability to pursue his October 2023 lawsuit in opposition to the legislation agency and a former counsel who labored there.
Decide David B. Cohen of the trial-level New York Supreme Courtroom in New York County, New York, tossed the go well with by former affiliate Jean E. Dassie, who alleged that he was defamed in two evaluations and discriminated in opposition to due to his Cameroonian origin.
Reuters and Law360 have protection.
Tossing the defamation claims, Cohen mentioned Dassie couldn’t sue as a result of the analysis feedback have been protected by a privilege making use of to statements made in employment for a supervisory function. Cohen additionally mentioned the one hurt that Dassie alleged was the lack of his job, which was at-will and couldn’t be the idea for a tort declare.
Tossing discrimination claims, Cohen mentioned Dassie’s pleadings didn’t embody allegations giving rise to an inference of discrimination. There have been no allegations about discriminatory feedback concerning race or nationwide origin and no allegations that equally located staff have been handled higher than Dassie, Cohen mentioned.
Cohen additionally tossed different claims that included allegations of a hostile work atmosphere, fraudulent misrepresentation, infliction of emotional misery, retaliation and tortious interference with contract.
Dassie, a former affiliate within the mental property group, had mentioned his analysis was affected by a dispute with former WilmerHale counsel Anh-Khoa Tran involving PowerPoint slides. Dassie mentioned Tran was “publicly chastising” him in a crowded room, and once they went outdoors, Tran “proceeded to scream” at Dassie.
Dassie additionally claimed that he was “socially ostracized” by some companions as a result of he deliberate to take a trip the week after a trial.
Dassie advised Reuters that he disagrees with the opinion and plans to attraction.
Tran is now working on the U.S. lawyer’s workplace in Houston, Law360 experiences.
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