Law Firms
Lawyer ends sexual harassment and retaliation suit against Polsinelli, 2 partners after claims allowed
The plaintiff and defendants in a sexual harassment lawsuit against Polsinelli recently filed a joint notice to dismiss the complaint. (Image from Shutterstock)
A former Polsinelli partner who claims the law firm fired her after she complained about sexual harassment has filed a joint notice with the defendants stating that she is dismissing her federal lawsuit with prejudice.
The plaintiff, international corporate attorney Julia I. Rix, had alleged in a September 2023 lawsuit that she was “repeatedly hounded” by the two male partners who wanted her to join them for after-hours drinks and hotel meetings.
The dismissal notice, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, does not indicate whether the dismissal is due to a settlement. The notice was filed following a federal judge’s September decision refusing to compel arbitration and refusing to toss sexual-harassment and emotional-distress claims.
Law360 reports that the dismissal notice was filed on the deadline for a response from the defendants. Besides Polsinelli, lawsuit defendants were Dov H. Scherzer and Gabriel Yomi Dabiri, the two partners Rix accused of harassment. They are no longer with Polsinelli.
The suit had alleged Scherzer and Dabiri used “bait-and-switch tactics,” claiming they wanted to meet to discuss case strategy or client development but instead using the meetings to sexually harass her. In one instance during a February meeting in New York City, Scherzer allegedly kissed Rix without her consent after she allowed him in her hotel room, according to the suit.
She lost her equity partner status after a negative review in October 2022, the suit said.
Lawyers for Rix, Polsinelli, Scherzer and Dabiri did not immediately respond to the ABA Journal’s request for comment.
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