Dechert Settles Disability Bias Suit by Ex-Site Manager in D.C.

Dechert LLP and an administrative services provider for the international law firm have agreed to settle claims by a former site manager in the Washington, D.C., that he was subjected to discrimination and retaliation because he had a stroke, federal court records show.

David Rudd, Dechert, and Document Technologies LLC notified the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Thursday that they reached an agreement to settle the January 2020 suit.

The settlement was reached with the help of a mediator and a written agreement is expected to be signed “in the coming days,” according to the parties’ joint status report.

Terms of the settlement weren’t included in the court record and counsel for the parties didn’t immediately respond Friday to Bloomberg Law’s requests for details.

Rudd was leading a nine-person team providing IT, printing, reception, record-keeping, and related services for Dechert’s D.C. office when a June 2017 stroke forced him to take medical leave, according to the suit. He returned to work part-time a few months later, using a cane and leg brace to help him walk, but Dechert’s regional office manager ignored his attempts to meet, the suit said.

The office manager instead continued to meet with the nondisabled Document Technologies staffer who replaced him when he was out, Rudd said. He was then fired at Dechert’s behest two weeks after returning to full duty , Rudd said.

The suit alleged that Dechert and Document Technologies jointly employed Rudd.

Rudd was employed by Document Technologies and assigned to Dechert’s D.C. office, the firm said in its March 2020 answer to the suit.

Pargament & Hallowell represents Rudd. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner represents Dechert and Document Technologies.

The case is Rudd v. Document Techs., LLC, D.D.C., No. 1:20-cv-00140, joint status report 6/24/21.