Men-only golf retreats and unequal work assignments alleged in bias suit against McElroy Deutsch
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A fired associate at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter claims in a gender bias and sex harassment suit against the law firm that male associates got to hobnob with firm leaders at male-only golf retreats and got better work assignments than females.
Fired bankruptcy associate Elina Chechelnitsky filed the suit (PDF) on March 10 in federal court in Manhattan, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. She was fired in July 2013 after complaining to two partners about inequitable treatment in December 2012, according to the suit. The firm did not have a human resources department, which made it difficult to complain about discrimination, Chechelnitsky alleged.
Chechelnitsky, who worked in the Newark office, claimed male associates were able to earn bigger bonuses because they got better work assignments than females, who were given more nonbillable work that didn’t count toward quotas.
She also claimed the male-only golf outings were an annual event. A March 2012 retreat for female associates was quickly arranged and was attended by only four lawyers, according to the New Jersey Law Journal account of the allegations.
Chechelnitsky says a partner in the Morristown office initially gave her good work assignments. She began dating an associate who worked for the partner, and the associate told her the partner thought she was “hot” and arranged for the associate to meet her by giving her a work assignment.
After Chechelnitsky and the associate broke up, she no longer received work assignments from the partner, the suit says.
McElroy Deutsch general counsel Ronald Riccio told the New Jersey Law Journal in a statement that the suit is frivolous and the firm intends to defend itself “to the full extent of the law and seek all remedies available.”
“We are confident that the facts of the case will result in an outcome in the firm’s favor,” Riccio said.
