Greenspoon Marder settles bias suit of former partner who's Korean American
Image from Shutterstock.com.
Greenspoon Marder has settled a lawsuit filed by a Korean American lawyer who alleged he was ousted from the partnership because of racial and national origin discrimination.
In a June 17 order, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan dismissed the case because of the settlement, the Daily Business Review reports. Terms of the settlement with lawyer Jun Chul Whang were confidential.
Whang had alleged the discrimination began when he worked at a predecessor firm that was acquired by Greenspoon Marder in April 2016. Discrimination by a group of partners at the old firm—Jacob, Medinger & Finnegan—continued after the acquisition, Whang said.
At the former firm, Whang says, he was put on a longer partnership track and removed as possible lead attorney in a case based on the discriminatory request of local counsel. Whang says his billable hours at Jacob Medinger matched or exceeded that of his peers.
When Jacob Medinger was acquired by Greenspoon Marder, the four white equity partners received a return on equity, but Whang did not, his suit said.
Greenspoon Marder contended it ousted Whang for legitimate nondiscriminatory reasons, including Whang’s decreased profitability and an inability to adapt his legal expertise to other areas of the law.
Whang’s lawyer, Veronica Jung, told the Daily Business Review that her client is happy to put the legal dispute behind him.
