Cleary Gottlieb sued by former project lawyer for alleged racial bias in firing
Updated: A former project lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton claims in a lawsuit that the firm discriminated against him when it fired him in August 2012.
The Dec. 23 suit by Maryland lawyer Lyle Silva, who is African American, says he “received nothing but outstanding praise” during his work on two matters at the law firm. But when work on the second matter wound down, Silva and a Hispanic female were furloughed and then fired. Project attorneys who were white, on the other hand, retained their jobs, the complaint alleges. The Blog of Legal Times covered the allegations.
The suit (PDF) says Silva had to take a written “privilege exam” consisting of 10 essay questions before he started the job at Cleary Gottlieb. He told the National Law Journal that Cleary officials first made their decision to cut him based on the privilege exam.
A Cleary spokesperson issued this statement: ““We are aware of the lawsuit and believe that the complaint is without merit. The plaintiff filed a complaint approximately two years ago with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which dismissed the matter last September.”
Updated on Dec. 30 to include law firm statement.
