Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson responded forcefully to an ex-associate’s suit that accuses the firm of denying her partnership because she is gay, ignoring her complaints about sexual harassment and instructing lawyers to write exaggerated negative performance reviews of unpopular associates.
The $50 million suit was filed in December in federal court in Manhattan by Julie Kamps, a Harvard Law School graduate who worked at Fried Frank for a decade before the firm allegedly terminated her during the middle of an arbitration in January 2009. Kamps claimed that litigation partner Janice Mac Avoy sexually harassed her; that partners told her to wear more feminine clothing; and that firm higher-ups retaliated against her for complaining. Kamps is represented by Daryl Davis of the employment firm Doman Davis; Davis did not return a call seeking comment.
