Employment Discrimination/Civil Rights

K & S represents victims of harassment, discrimination and retaliation and other forms of mistreatment in the workplace – both private and federal sector employees, as well as employees or students denied reasonable accommodations for disabling conditions.   In addition, K & S routinely provides legal advice and representation to companies and nonprofit entities that need to address challenging employment problems or EEO complaints, often conducting or overseeing investigations into employee misconduct, including sexual harassment.  K & S also has represented more than 100 executives in complex severance negotiations.

• A woman from El Salvador who alleged national origin discrimination in connection with her termination from a national office supply corporation .  The case – profiled extensively in the Spanish-language media – settled for a substantial amount after K & S prevailed on all counts at summary judgment.
• A woman from Honduras who alleged national origin discrimination and sexual harassment in connection with her employment with a local grocery chain.  The case – profiled extensively in the Spanish-language media – was settled for a substantial amount after K & S prevailed on all counts at summary judgment.  K & S worked closely with the National Council of La Raza, a leading national civil rights organization, in bringing attention to the case and the issues it raised for Latino workers.
• A female resident physician at a local university hospital who was subjected to sexual harassment by her supervising physician.  The case – covered  extensively in the Washington Post and on local radio stations – was resolved for a substantial amount on the eve of trial.
• A distinguished professor at a Washington, D.C.-based university in a breach of contract/discrimination action in D.C. Superior Court.  The matter was resolved on favorable terms short of trial.
• A Treasury Department employee who was terminated after suffering disabling cognitive issues from a workplace fall.  The case was litigated for several years at the EEOC before being settled for a substantial amount.
• A federal employee with severe, targeted disabilities who was challenging a new department regulation that would have denied her the use of a personal assistant as a reasonable accommodation.  K & S was successful in having the new regulation rescinded.
• Numerous employees in “reverse discrimination” matters, including a white female police offer who had been passed over for promotion some 14 times in favor of less qualified candidates of different race or gender.  The case was settled on favorable terms after K & S prevailed before the EEOC at summary judgment.
• K & S has negotiated severance agreements for many top business executives, including the CEO of a major nonprofit organization; a former Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for CNN; a Senior Producer at ABC/Nightline; numerous corporate executives in the hospitality industry; and a senior management official at Northrup Grumman.
• Five senior psychiatrists at the Department of Veterans Affairs who alleged age and reverse race discrimination.  Four of the matters were successfully resolved while pursuing an EEO hearing.  After years of litigation, the fifth went to a hearing where K & S succeeded in recovering hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay, significant emotional distress damages, attorney fee reimbursement and a high-level promotion for the psychiatrist.
• A senior intelligence officer at a federal agency who was removed for allegedly pilfering food at the agency cafeteria.  After being hired to appeal the removal to the MSPB, K & S eventually prevailed, resulting in a back pay award calculated at over a million dollars as well as the option of reinstatement for the client.
• A respected journalist at Voice of America who was removed for alleged insubordination and failure to follow best journalistic practices in regards to an interview of a controversial whistleblower.  K & S handled the arbitration proceeding that followed and prevailed, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay and reinstatement for the client.
• A high-level female tech executive who was subjected to gender-based stereotypes and ultimately terminated.  After suing in federal court, K & S successfully resolved the matter on confidential terms.
• A female president of an energy company was subjected to gender discrimination and ultimately terminated.  K & S was retained as co-counsel pre-trial and successfully resolved the matter on confidential terms after securing the testimony of a reluctant, critically important witness.
• A female news producer at Voice of America who had been subjected to egregious sexual harassment, to the point where she suffered career-ending mental distress.  K & S filed a lawsuit in federal court and, after surviving summary judgment, resolved the matter for approximately $650,000.