Firm Participates in NAMWOLF 2018 Annual Conference

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Partners Beth Kaufman, Heather Heft, Ola Nunez, David Ganz, Steven Gerber, and Jeremy Weintraub attended the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Women and Minority-Owned Firms (NAMWOLF) held in Chicago, IL on September 26 -29, 2018. NAMWOLF’s law firm membership is comprised of AV-rated firms across the nation which represent major corporate clients.

Firm Participates in NAMWOLF 2017 Annual Conference

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Partners Beth Kaufman, Heather Heft, Ola Nunez, David Ganz, and Steven Gerber attended the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Women and Minority-Owned Firms (NAMWOLF) held in New York, NY on September 17-20, 2017. NAMWOLF’s law firm membership is comprised of AV-rated firms across the nation which represent major corporate clients.

2018 Best Lawyers Recognizes Three of the Firm’s Partners as “The Best Lawyers in America”

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The Firm is proud to announce that three of its Partners have been selected by Best Lawyers for the 2018 “The Best Lawyers in America.”  Partner Lawrence Fox was chosen for his Commercial Litigation, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Litigation – Securities Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law; Partner Steven Gerber was selected for Litigation – Labor and Employment Law; and Partner Beth Kaufman was selected for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants.

Partner Beth Kaufman Speaks Up about Law Firms’ Involvement in Promoting Diversity in the Workplace.

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Partner Beth Kaufman speaks up about law firms’ proactive involvement in promoting diversity in the workplace.  Ms. Kaufman was quoted in the April 20, 2017 online publication of the Legal Intelligencer article entitled, “Case Study: Diversifying the Plaintiffs Bar, One Small Firm at a Time.”  Ms. Kaufman stated, “not all firms need quotas or other strict policies to increase diversity, but law firms need to be deliberate and broad in their recruiting if they are serious about hiring minorities and women. For large firms, a diversity initiative, program or policy may be necessary, she said, but at smaller firms, it could be as simple as seeking large applicant pools, or specifically telling a recruiter to find diverse candidates. If you’re not proactive expressing your diversity goals, then they don’t have any incentive.”  To view the full article, please click on the following link: https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/almID/1202784154244.

Firm Secures Defense Verdict in SDNY Employment Discrimination Case

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On November 15, 2010, a jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York returned a complete defense verdict in favor of Firm client Columbia University with respect to allegations of age and national origin discrimination and retaliation made by a former Columbia employee. Charlie Updike led a trial team that included partner Beth Kaufman and in-house counsel from the University. The case had been pending for 18 years in the State Division of Human Rights, where the plaintiff’s administrative complaint ultimately was dismissed, and in the SDNY. The favorable verdict closes a chapter in the longest running litigation in the Firm’s history.

Firm Obtains Summary Judgment in SDNY Employment Discrimination and Retaliation Case

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On June 21, 2013, Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment in its entirety in favor of Firm client the City University of New York (“CUNY”), Queens College, and various university officials.

The plaintiff, a current university employee, brought claims under Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act alleging that he was discriminated against because of his Italian-American national origin and a disability and that he was retaliated against for his alleged advocacy and affirmative action work on behalf of Italian-Americans at CUNY.

Beth Kaufman represented all defendants from the beginning of the case through the successful summary judgment motion that resulted in the dismissal of the case.

Second Circuit Affirms Defense Verdict

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of an employment discrimination case against Columbia University. The claims had been pursued for nearly 20 years. After a successful defense in a trial before the New York State Division of Human Rights, the claims were dismissed on the merits. A Right to Sue letter was issued and pursuit of the claims de novo in the Southern District resulted in a defense verdict after full discovery and a week long jury trial. A motion for a new trial was denied. The result in the district court was affirmed and the appeal dismissed on July 3, 2012. Charles B. Updike tried the case and briefed and argued it in the Court of Appeals.

Successful Motion in Foreclosure Action

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The Firm successfully defeated a borrower’s counterclaim against firm client Bank of America, N.A. in a foreclosure action, permitting the foreclosure action to proceed. On May 11, 2010, the judge in Bank of America, N.A. v. Peresgranted Bank of America’s motion to dismiss the counterclaim, in which the borrower sought damages for the allegedly improper filing of a notice of pendency on his property.

Beth L. Kaufman, litigation partner, Nancy A. Connery, real estate partner, were involved in the successful motion.

Related Attorneys: Beth L. Kaufman, Nancy A. Connery

Practice Areas: Litigation; Real Estate