In Mineola, a law firm and a partner ended up in court

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A former partner at a Mineola law firm has filed a lawsuit in New York federal court against the firm and its managing partner, alleging the firm is a hostile work environment for women.

Plaintiff Laura Brancato alleges that Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein and Breitstone and their male partners who run the firm “sexually harassed their subordinates, made lewd and sexist jokes about women, and propagated gender stereotypes about female lawyers.”

Meltzer Lippe, however, says the allegations are “baseless.”

“Ms. Brancato’s claims are without merit and we will vigorously defend against them,” a firm representative told LIBN.

Represented by New York-based Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel, Brancato worked mostly in the firm’s Manhattan office. In the lawsuit, she alleges that during golf’s “biggest networking event of the year” in October 2023, David Geimann, the firm’s managing partner, raised questions about Brancato and oral sex in front of her colleagues and clients. and business partners. The lawsuit accuses the firm and Heyman of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, including a hostile work environment and retaliation based on sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

Brancato, according to the complaint, immediately reported the sexual harassment within the company, but no one at “Meltzer Lippe did anything to discipline Mr. Gaiman or address the issue of gender discrimination at the Firm.”

The complaint also alleges that before leaving, the firm’s founding partner, Lew Meltzer, told Brancato about a “tradition” at the firm in which male partners shared “dirty jokes” during a meeting. He allegedly asked her to sign a “‘waiver'” if she insisted on attending an event that the Firm’s female lawyers traditionally do not attend. Brancato refused to sign the waiver and allegedly attended the event anyway, even though she and another woman were allegedly the only female attorneys.

According to the complaint, the jokes involved “sexual acts, women refusing to have sex with their husbands, female genitalia, male genitalia and impotence.”

Brancato broke down in tears over a comment about oral sex, and while she was visibly upset, no one ever acknowledged it or apologized to her, the lawsuit alleges.

The suit also alleges that Geimann made “sexist and demeaning comments” to Brancato about her starting a women’s affinity group, saying he suggested it was “just an excuse for women to ‘whine and complain’ or ‘get together to play mahjong.’ . …. and that it would “adversely affect her potential for advancement and career” at the firm. However, the group was touted as a “tool to attract other female lawyers” to the firm, but the firm did not fund any of the group’s activities in 2023 and only funded one of seven programs in 2024.

Brancato also alleges that despite her qualifications, performance, and profitability, she was told she was “too eager” to be promoted to equity partner and was instead promoted to profit partner. However, the complaint alleges that several male partners were named as shareholders immediately after joining the firm. The complaint also states that there has only been one female partner in the firm’s 50-year history.

The lawsuit alleges that in response to Brancato’s complaints about sexist comments and her advocacy for women’s professional development, the firm retaliated against her by deeming her “inconsistent with the firm’s culture.” The suit also alleges that she was replaced as head of the firm’s aging legal practice by a newly hired male partner, and was eventually abruptly fired in May without pay, despite her high performance and millions of dollars in revenue. The lawsuit alleges that several people told her they believed she was fired because she had committed a crime. She was allegedly barred from returning to the firm, but when the firm sent her electronic files, they were corrupted, according to the complaint. According to the complaint, the firm allegedly failed to provide Brancato’s contact information to clients who tried to contact her.

Brancato now claims she will have to rebuild her practice elsewhere and that she has “suffered significant emotional distress.” Among the compensation she claims she is entitled to are accounts receivable she created or issued, as well as a revenue partner bonus.