Lewis Brisbois settles one former partner's lawsuit; second is pending
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has settled a race and disability lawsuit filed by a Black former partner who cited remarks in emails by two partners who hired him. (Photo from Shutterstock)
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has settled a race and disability lawsuit filed by a Black former partner who cited remarks in emails by two partners who hired him.
The law firm filed a notice of the settlement with former partner Robert Lofton in Los Angeles superior court Monday, report Law360 and Reuters. There is no description of the agreement.
Lofton’s suit alleged that Lewis Brisbois essentially forced him to resign after he suffered health complications from surgery by docking part of his pay, diverting most of his cases, converting him to a contract partner, and threatening to end his health benefits.
He also cited emails written by the lawyers, John Barber and Jeffrey Ranen, who led the firm’s labor and employment group before leaving in June 2023 to start a new firm with more than 100 Lewis Brisbois attorneys.
Emails by one lawyer or the other used the C-word to refer to women, repeated the N-word and used LGBTQ slurs. They resigned from their new firm after Lewis Brisbois released the emails. Barber and Ranen were not named as defendants in Lofton’s suit.
Lewis Brisbois released a statement after Lofton filed the suit in March.
“Lewis Brisbois has a strong record of taking action to correct and prevent any instances of harmful behavior out of step with our values,” the statement said. “In fact, the events described in this lawsuit prove that. It is well documented that when Lewis Brisbois’ management discovered offensive emails between former partners, we disclosed these to the legal community, updated our policies and practices, and retained outside experts to evaluate and provide further recommendations, which we have since implemented.”
Lewis Brisbois continues to face another suit by former partner Julie O’Dell, who sued the firm for alleged gender bias. O’Dell said she was paid significantly less than her male counterparts, even though she generated more revenue and billed more hours.
Lewis Brisbois is seeking to move O’Dell’s suit into arbitration, according to Law360.
After O’Dell filed her suit, Lewis Brisbois general counsel Jana Lubert said O’Dell owes the firm “a significant six-figure amount.”
“We are deeply disappointed Ms. O’Dell is resorting to baseless gender discrimination against Lewis Brisbois as a means of elevating her lawsuit and obfuscating her contractual obligations to Lewis Brisbois,” Lubert said.
