TransPerfect has filed suit against a lawyer representing a class action complaint against the translation service, alleging defamation per se over statements made to the press.

Attorney Jeremiah Frei-Pearson represents plaintiffs in a wage-theft action currently pending against TransPerfect in Manhattan federal court. As part of that litigation, Frei-Pearson told reporters TransPerfect had committed “‘deliberate,’ criminal ‘wage theft,’” according to court papers.