Law Firms
Judge tosses fired associate’s suit alleging WilmerHale discriminated based on his Cameroonian origin
A fired associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr won’t be able to pursue his October 2023 lawsuit against the law firm and a former counsel who worked there. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A fired associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr won’t be able to pursue his October 2023 lawsuit against the law firm and a former counsel who worked there.
Judge David B. Cohen of the trial-level New York Supreme Court in New York County, New York, tossed the suit by former associate Jean E. Dassie, who alleged that he was defamed in two evaluations and discriminated against because of his Cameroonian origin.
Reuters and Law360 have coverage.
Tossing the defamation claims, Cohen said Dassie couldn’t sue because the evaluation comments were protected by a privilege applying to statements made in employment for a supervisory purpose. Cohen also said the only harm that Dassie alleged was the loss of his job, which was at-will and could not be the basis for a tort claim.
Tossing discrimination claims, Cohen said Dassie’s pleadings didn’t include allegations giving rise to an inference of discrimination. There were no allegations about discriminatory comments regarding race or national origin and no allegations that similarly situated employees were treated better than Dassie, Cohen said.
Cohen also tossed other claims that included allegations of a hostile work environment, fraudulent misrepresentation, infliction of emotional distress, retaliation and tortious interference with contract.
Dassie, a former associate in the intellectual property group, had said his evaluation was affected by a dispute with former WilmerHale counsel Anh-Khoa Tran involving PowerPoint slides. Dassie said Tran was “publicly chastising” him in a crowded room, and when they went outside, Tran “proceeded to scream” at Dassie.
Dassie also claimed that he was “socially ostracized” by some partners because he planned to take a vacation the week after a trial.
Dassie told Reuters that he disagrees with the opinion and plans to appeal.
Tran is now working at the U.S. attorney’s office in Houston, Law360 reports.
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