Defense Firm Says It Was Fired After Saying Client Board Must Be Told of $350K Pact
The head of Cozen O’Connor says the well-known law firm was fired after it insisted that the client’s board be told of a settlement concerning a sexual harassment claim made against its executive director by a female employee.
The settlement resolved the third of four cases that could cost a total of some $900,000 and the second in which the law firm had represented the Philadelphia Housing Authority, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.
Thomas “Tad” Decker, who serves as Cozen’s president and chief executive officer, tells the Times Leader that his firm worked on two of the cases. It thought the board knew about the first settlement and was fired after it insisted that the board be told of the second, for $350,000, Decker explains.
The Inquirer says five attorneys have represented the PHA in the various cases, but most haven’t responded to requests for comment.
“It’s very clear in the cases in which we were involved that we anticipated that the board was going to be informed by management of the terms of the settlements and the background,” Decker tells the Philadelphia newspaper. “We recommended that the board be fully informed of all the issues on the case. Thereafter, our engagement was terminated.”
