A former employee of a California law firm filed a sexual harassment and wrongful termination lawsuit against her former employer this month in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the Los Angeles Times, the former employee claims that women at the firm were subjected to a hostile work environment where men regularly made derogatory comments against women. The lawsuit alleges that sexual harassment was common in her workplace; men discussed sex, posted photos of naked women on the walls and peered through binoculars at women through office windows.
Her lawsuit alleges that this treatment was encouraged from the top, as she claims the founding partner paid admissions for employees to go to a bikini bar called Fantasy Island after their 2009 office Christmas party and paid for at least one employee to have a lap dance.
The lawsuit also alleges that the employee was wrongfully terminated after complaining about a partner’s performance. The female employee was employed by the Century City law firm for 14 months as an investigator. She was fired in December 2009, ostensibly soon after the allegedly wildly inappropriate office Christmas party. Her former employer, a firm that represents investors in securities class-action lawsuits, denies the allegations.
Source:
Lawsuit describes fraternity-like atmosphere at L.A. law firm (Los Angeles Times)