The New York State Division of Human Rights has awarded a former contract partner at Hill Betts & Nash nearly $600,000 after an administrative law judge found that the firm discriminated against him due to his mental health issues.
The former partner, James M. Hazen, filed papers this month in Manhattan Supreme Court to enforce the division’s final Oct. 27 order and award further damages beyond what the division granted. Mr. Hazen, who suffered from bipolar disorder, was fired by the Manhattan-based law firm in 2006 after ringing up unusual charges on a company credit card, an administrative judge ruled in 2008.
