An attorney is claiming big-league firm Dechert fired him to get back at him for taking time off to care for his mentally ill wife and their newborn, the National Law Journal reports.
This week, a court denied summary judgment for the law firm, meaning ex-Dechert lawyer Ariel Ayanna can pursue his case against the firm, which he says has a "macho" culture.
Ayanna, a Harvard Law grad, sued Dechert in 2010, claiming it pushed male associates to leave caregiving to women.
His suit claims male lawyers at the firm bragged about who worked more and ignored their families while burdening their wives with all of the family responsibilities. At one point, a senior associate rolled his eyes at Ayanna when he said he was going to have dinner with his family, the suit claims.
Meanwhile, female employees of Dechert were allowed, and even expected, to take care of family matters, Ayanna sayd.
Judge Nathaniel Gorton ruled there's enough evidence that Ayanna's time off – which he took under the Family and Medical Leave Act – and his firing were related for the case to move forward, National Law Journal reported.
Dechert declined to comment to the Journal.
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