ON BACKGROUND
Wigdor has filed a complaint against top-ranked law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, alleging disability discrimination and whistleblower retaliation on behalf of Partner candidate Matthew Cali.
Mr. Cali is an award-winning litigator who was on the partner track at Troutman Pepper Locke, where his work was consistently praised and he earned bonuses in every single year of his employment. The Firm extended him significant responsibility, where he routinely took party depositions, argued numerous dispositive and discovery motions in state and federal courts, sat second chair at trials and arbitrations, and argued an appeal before the First Department in New York. He was also appointed to the Firm’s Associate Liaison Committee, served as both a formal and informal associate mentor, and was appointed to be a Firm Pro Bono Ambassador. His work was so exceptional that the Chair of the New Jersey District VII Ethics Committee once wrote that Mr. Cali’s investigation report was “one of the most thoughtful and conscientious investigative reports I have ever read.”
As alleged in the complaint (linked below), when Mr. Cali returned from FMLA leave four months after suffering a “widowmaker” heart attack, he was deprived of meaningful responsibility, regulated to “busy work” typically assigned to junior associates, and excluded from client pitches to force him out of the firm. Around this time, the complaint alleges that Mr. Cali uncovered a scheme of fraudulent billing coordinated by his supervising Partners, who directed the team to bill unrelated/fabricated work to a litigation matter and to disguise the true nature of billed entries to evade scrutiny from the client’s sophisticated insurer. When he reported this fraud internally, the Firm disregarded his complaint and promptly suggested that he leave the firm.
ON RECORD
Statement from Michael Willemin (Partner, Wigdor LLP):
“Mr. Cali worked himself to literal near death for Troutman, suffering a heart attack while working at the office. Rather than support Mr. Cali, who was on track to make partner before his heart attack, Troutman derailed his career and further retaliated against him after he reported that the firm was committing billing fraud.”
The full complaint for Matthew Cali v. Troutman Pepper Locke LLP; Ron Raether; and Audrey Wisotsky may be found here.
Please reach out to Wigdor LLP Partner Michael Willemin (mwillemin@wigdorlaw.com) or Director of Marketing Tess Neudeck (tneudeck@wigdorlaw.com) with any questions.
PRESS COVERAGE
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