Troutman Pepper Sued by Black Associate Alleging Bias, Reprisal

A Black female attorney says Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP discriminated against her because of her race, then retaliated against and ultimately fired her for complaining about the bias.

The firm’s mistreatment of Gita Sankano and other Black lawyers, especially Black women, belies its public representations that it’s “committed to diversity, equity and inclusion,” according to the suit filed Wednesday in federal court in the District of Columbia.

Troutman Pepper “has engaged in a number of disingenuous internal and external public relations maneuvers” to convince clients and prospective recruits that DEI is one of its core values, Sankano says. That ...