Former Davis Polk & Wardwell associate, Kaloma Cardwell, has filed a notice of appeal following the verdict in his retaliation lawsuit against his previous employer and its two former leaders. The players central to this legal drama comprise of ex-Davis Polk managing partner Thomas Reid and John Bick, who formerly chaired the M&A group practice. The notice of appeal was lodged on Wednesday.
In 2019, Cardwell initiated a lawsuit against Davis Polk, alleging retaliation transpired after he voiced concerns about racial discrimination within the firm. In a counterargument, the defense attorneys from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison – who represented Davis Polk – claimed that Cardwell was dismissed due to subpar performance.
A ten-member jury in the Southern District of New York previously dismissed Cardwell’s claims in January following roughly three hours of deliberation.