Lawyer Alleges Firing Due to Judge Grievance
A New Jersey lawyer alleges she was fired from a law firm because she filed an ethics grievance against a judge who was a “political ally, friend and crony” of the firm.
Plaintiff Michele D’Onofrio also alleges in her complaint that she was sexually harassed by a high-profile lawyer at the firm—former New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco, the New Jersey Law Journal reports.
She contends DiFrancesco asked if she planned on “getting really big boobs” in reconstructive surgery following a double mastectomy and once invited her to his hotel room.
The law firm named as a defendant in the complaint is DiFrancesco, Bateman, Coley, Yospin, Kunzman, Davis & Lehrer. Both the law firm and DiFrancesco deny the allegations.
The suit is “a perfect example of how, if you have a printer and $200 [for a filing fee], you can say anything you want,” DiFrancesco told the legal publication. “It’s absolutely not true.”
