On Monday, June 11, 2018, Wigdor LLP filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on behalf of a female employee against Dentons US LLP (“Dentons”) and Alton Delane, the Managing Director of Dentons’ Venture Technology Group. Dentons is the largest law firm in the world by headcount, employing over 7,500 attorneys at 55 offices around the globe.
According to the Complaint, Dentons attempted to silence the victim after she complained that she was being subjected to a barrage of sexual harassment by her direct supervisor, Mr. Delane. The alleged harassment occurred both inside and outside of the workplace and included numerous sexually explicit comments, unwanted physical contact and highly inappropriate late-night phone calls.
As alleged, after Dentons’ Human Resources Department was put on notice of Mr. Delane’s sexually harassing conduct, it informed the victim that she was not permitted to discuss the allegations with anyone else inside or outside the firm — a clear indication that Dentons hoped to silence her from speaking out about her experiences of sexual harassment.
The Complaint further alleges that Dentons attempted to isolate the female employee by directing other employees not to discuss the allegations with her or anyone else. Dentons also informed the harassment victim that it did not believe the workplace was unsafe for her, despite being aware of the extremely serious allegations against Mr. Delane, according to the Complaint.
Plaintiff is represented by Wigdor LLP Partner David E. Gottlieb
Statement from David E. Gottlieb, Partner at Wigdor LLP:
“Law firms such as Dentons should set an example for how to provide a safe workplace for women. It is unfortunate that Dentons has failed to be a leader in this #MeToo era, and has instead attempted to silence women who raise harassment complaints and intimidate witnesses who support those women.”
The American Lawyer
“Alleging Treatment as ‘Sexual Object’ Dentons Employee Sues Firm”
June 11, 2018
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Bloomberg Law
“Dentons Employee Files Sexual Harassment Suit”
June 11, 2018
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ABA Journal
“Dentons employee’s suit says she was treated like a sexual object, complaints went unheeded”
June 12, 2018
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Law360
“Dentons Ignored Managing Director’s Harassment, Suit Says”
June 11, 2018
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Above the Law
“Dentons Faces New, Explicit Sexual Harassment Claims”
June 12, 2018
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