A former Polsinelli PC partner, who alleges senior attorneys sexually harassed her, has implored a federal judge to resist the firm’s request for dismissal of the case or for it to be transferred to private arbitration.
Julia Rix, the partner in question, joined the law firm’s Washington office in 2021 and lost her job two years later. The dismissal motion filed by Polsinelli and one of the alleged harassers, Gabriel Dabiri, has been termed as a “desperate bid” to evade local human rights laws and public scrutiny of Rix’s allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.
This account of events was drawn from an opposition Rix lodged at the US District Court for the District of Columbia. According to her filing, the legal firm is attempting to “shroud” claims in arbitration. It further asserts that the contract does not restrict the claims to Missouri law.
This case underscores the broader issue prevalent in many corporations and law firms, where victims of harassment struggle to surface their complaints in the face of complex contracts, arbitration clauses, and the fear of retaliation. Watch this space for further updates on this ongoing case.
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