Skip to content

Firm News! Attorneys Hajar Hasani and Rachel Haskell Reach Resolution in Federal Discrimination Case

July 7th, 2021 Allison Frison

Attorneys Hajar Hasani and Rachel Haskell were mentioned in a recent Law360 article about our firm’s federal discrimination case filed on behalf of Brandon Padgett, a former paralegal at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson LLP. Padgett has accused the company of discrimination based on his non-binary gender identity and military status. While working at the firm, he was referred to as “Beyonce” by another employee. After Padgett reported this comment to Human Resources, the company organized a sexual harassment training session that was not well-attended by employees. Following this training session, a partner at the firm greeted Padgett with a slap on the buttocks. Soon after these incidents, Padgett joined the Army National Guard and informed the firm of the days he would be absent from work due to training. He even reminded the firm that they could not legally fire him because of his military status. Despite this, Padgett was informed that the firm was unable to hold his position during Army training and that they would have to part ways. 

After a successful mediation on June 25, our firm was able to reach a settlement on Padgett’s sexual harassment and military discrimination claims. Law360 quoted Hajar Hasani, saying, “Hajar Hasani, an attorney for Padgett, declined to comment Tuesday on the substance of the proposed agreement but told Law360, ‘Both parties have reached a resolution and are satisfied with the outcome.'” Law360 previously reported on Rachel Haskell’s comments on our firm’s case. Haskell said, “First, no one should ever have to work in an environment where they are subject to harassment based on their gender identity, and while all retaliation is abhorrent, here it is even more so as our client was terminated because he was selflessly entering into the National Guard to serve our country.” A federal judge recently paused legal proceedings on the case for a thirty day period.

Our firm is extremely pleased to have reached a resolution behalf of our client. We are committed to pursuing our clients’ best interests and will continue to report on firm news updates!

Seek Legal Assistance Today 

If you are experiencing discrimination in the workplace, seek legal assistance from the Working Solutions Law Firm, located in New York City and Livingston, NJ. Contact us today at (646) 430-7930 to schedule a free case evaluation and receive experienced legal counsel.