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Straight white woman drops bias case against King & Spalding over its diversity fellowship
A straight white woman who sued King & Spalding over a diversity fellowship has filed a joint stipulation dropping her claims, leading a federal appeals court to dismiss her appeal. (Image from Shutterstock)
A straight white woman who sued King & Spalding over a diversity fellowship has filed a joint stipulation dropping her claims, leading a federal appeals court to dismiss her appeal.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, dismissed Sarah Spitalnick’s appeal with prejudice Nov. 14. The stipulation of dismissal, docketed Nov. 13, did not indicate whether a settlement had been reached.
Law 360 covered the stipulation, reached before appeals briefs were filed in the case.
Spitalnick had alleged that she was deterred from applying for a summer-associate diversity fellowship at King & Spalding in February 2021 because of a job ad that restricted applicants.
The ad said candidates “must have an ethnically or culturally diverse background or be a member of the LGBT community,” according to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Maryland.
Spitalnick alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar of the District of Maryland tossed Spitalnick’s case in February because of a “paucity of allegations” that she was ready and able to apply for the fellowship.
The ABA Journal sought comment from Spitalnick’s lawyer, Eden P. Quainton of Quainton Law, and one of the lawyers for King & Spalding, Proskauer Rose partner Evandro C. Gigante. Neither immediately responded.
King & Spalding also did not immediately respond to the Journal’s request for comment.
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