Kirkland & Ellis Female Associate Mostly Advances Bias Suit (2)

Kirkland & Ellis LLP and five partners must defend a female former associate’s lawsuit alleging sex bias, retaliation, defamation, and other claims.

The US District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday ruled that a sexual harassment claim can be based on official job actions such as personnel management decisions. It also found that performance reviews Zoya Kovalenko received during her 10-month stint at the multinational law firm, which she says were falsified to justify firing her, support a claim for defamation under California law.

Kovalenko, a onetime intellectual property litigation associate, sued the firm pro se on ...