Law Firm Partner, Accused of Groping Opposing Counsel, Pleads Guilty to Harassment
A partner with a Portland, Ore., law firm accused of groping his opposing counsel in a construction defects case has pleaded guilty to harassment.
Jack Levy, a partner with Smith Freed & Eberhard, was sentenced Friday to two years of probation, the Oregonian reports. He was also ordered to write an apology letter and to attend a class on “gender issues” and professionalism.
Levy admitted to “offensive physical conduct” when he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor, the story says. The opposing counsel, who wasn’t identified in the story, had alleged the incident took place at a party hosted by another law firm in March. She said Levy started making sexual comments, and when she left the room, he followed her into the hallway, groped her and asked her crude sexual questions.
The woman has said she viewed the incident as a “strategic maneuver” designed to unsettle her in the case, the story says. During the hearing Friday, the woman said she reported the incident to the bar and the police despite fears that “people wouldn’t believe me, would blame me, would think less of me, and that my career would be ruined.”
Levy has denied any intent to gain an unfair advantage in the litigation. The state bar is investigating.
