Troutman Pepper Atlanta offices. Courtesy photoTroutman Pepper Says Ex-Associate Who Alleged Racial Discrimination Lost Job Because of Failure to Improve
Former associate Gita Sankano sued the firm in 2024 claiming that she was fired in retaliation for raising complaints about allegedly racist behavior by firm partners.
February 03, 2025 at 03:27 PM
6 minute read
What You Need to Know
- Troutman Pepper Locke is seeking summary judgment against former associate Gita Sankano, who sued the firm last year claiming she was fired in retaliation for raising complaints about alleged racist behavior by partners.
- In its motion, the firm claims that Sankano was fired for performance reasons rather than discriminatory or retaliatory purposes.
Troutman Pepper Locke on Friday asked a federal judge to put an end to a lawsuit from a former associate of legacy firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton & Sanders who sued the firm in 2024 claiming she was fired in retaliation for complaining about racist behavior by several partners, contending that race played no role her termination.
In its motion for summary judgment, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Troutman Pepper claims that rather than firing Gita Sankano in retaliation for telling HR about an “outrageously demeaning, dehumanizing, and demoralizing email” she received from a partner, the firm terminated Sankano after she failed to improve upon or address critiques regarding attention to detail and substantive knowledge repeatedly throughout her time as an associate.
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