Law Firms
Ex-Kasowitz Partner Files $90M Suit Over Claim of ‘Extremely Inappropriate’ Conduct
Posted Jun 6, 2008, 06:07 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The former chairman of the intellectual property group at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman has filed a $90 million defamation suit against the firm for issuing a press release that said he was fired for “extremely inappropriate personal conduct."
Jeremy Pitcock contends in his suit that the conduct was nothing more than a "brief, consensual kiss" with an associate at her apartment after a night of drinking, the American Lawyer reports. He says the press release resulted in his firing from a new law firm, Morgan & Finnegan, and made it impossible to find a new job.
Pitcock claims Kasowitz Benson partners realized he was about to jump to a new firm and wanted to fire him so they could retain his book of business, worth millions of dollars.
After the kiss, the suit says, Pitcock had no contact with the associate except for a couple e-mails he sent her, according to the American Lawyer summary. The firm began an investigation after the second e-mail. Pitcock alleges he was called into a meeting to discuss the e-mail with two senior partners and one of them, Eric Wallach, behaved in an aggressive manner, according to the story.
The article says Pitcock’s suit “reads like the IP version of a John Grisham novel.” The complaint claims the firm pushed out another lawyer after he “served his purpose” by recruiting Pitcock and a third lawyer. It also details conflict over Pitcock’s promotion to IP chief and rivalry with other lawyers, including Wallach, accused in the complaint of wanting Pitcock ousted from the firm.
The Am Law Daily posted the complaint (PDF) and a press release about the lawsuit.
Updated at 9:25 a.m. to add the complaint and press release.
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