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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents Kari Smith, a former Starbucks employee, in a sexual harassment and disability discrimination action. As part of her allegations, Ms. Smith contends that she was sexually harassed at Starbucks when male employees engaged in an activity they called “ass rape” and referred to an isolated basement storage room as the “rape room.” Ms. Smith also alleges that she was humiliated and ridiculed on account of her disability only to be fired while she was out on an approved disability leave. New York Daily News “Brooklyn Starbucks ex-employee sexually harassed by male baristas at work: lawsuit” May 7, 2013 » Read Law 360 “Ex-Starbucks Worker Sues Over Disability Bias, Rape Jokes” May 7, 2013 » Read PDF |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents a former "spin" instructor from SoulCycle in a class action alleging that the company engages in unlawful wage payment practices. Daily News The Hollywood Reporter The Wall Street Journal Huff Post New York |
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On April 29, 2013 the New York Law Journal published its top verdicts of 2012. In connection with its verdict on behalf of a victim of disability discrimination, Douglas Wigdor was ranked as the number one disability verdict and the number two overall employment verdict for 2012. This follows Mr. Wigdor’s number one overall employment verdict in 2011. The firm has been recognized in the Top Verdicts seven out of the last eight years. Read pdf. |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents a former Director at Deutsche Bank in a Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower lawsuit that alleges he was terminated in retaliation for complaining to senior management about tax overcharges to clients and systemic problems with the Bank’s trading systems and reconciliation processes, which put the Bank at critical risk of liability for client losses and legal violations. Huffington Post Bloomberg The Telegraph Reuters Fox Business |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents former employees of RMJM, a large international architectural firm, in a class action alleging numerous unlawful employment practices including nonpayment of wages, withholding of benefits, retention of retirement plan contributions and submission of fraudulent reports to the Internal Revenue Service. Architects Journal Architects Journal Building Design Architects Journal Building Design |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents a former bartender at P.J. Clarke’s in a class action alleging that the restaurant engaged in unlawful wage payment practices and misrepresented employee income to the Internal Revenue Service. New York Daily News |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents the former Director of Facilities of the 9/11 Memorial in a whistleblower complaint that alleges that he was terminated in retaliation for complaining about unsafe conditions that could affect the public health and safety of patrons to the Memorial. The New York Times The Washington Post |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents Kelley Voelker, a former Vice President at Deutsche Bank, who was fired after filing a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. Ms. Voelker’s lawsuit, which received press attention and notoriety when it was first filed in federal court details her efforts to break through the Bank’s glass ceiling, overcome "mommy-tracking," and obtain a long-overdue promotion. After being told that nobody in her group would be affected by the layoffs at the Bank, Ms. Voelker was informed, after she complained just weeks prior about further retaliation, that she is the only employee among the approximately 500 employees to be affected as part of this supposedly wide-ranging reduction in force. Daily Mail Law 360 ABC News Reuters ABC News Reuters
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On June 12 Douglas Wigdor secured an award of $1,350,000 in compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of their client, a victim of disability discrimination who was terminated after he disclosed he was HIV positive.
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On April 30, 2012 the New York Law Journal published its top verdicts of 2011. In connection with its approximate $24 million verdict, Douglas Wigdor was the number one employment verdict and the number seven overall verdict for 2011. This is not the first time Douglas Wigdor has been recognized in the Top Verdicts, as the firm has been included in this prestigious compilation in six out of the last seven years. Click here to read the ad » |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represents current and former Home Lending Specialists, Loan Consultants, and other similar mortgage lending specialist employees against CitiMortgage Inc. and other related entities (“Citi”) for their failure to pay overtime compensation over the last six years. On November 22, 2011, the Court denied Citi’s attempt to dismiss the case, denied Citi’s attempt to compel arbitration, and granted Plaintiffs’ motion for conditional certification of a collective action against Citi. | |
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Law 360º “Citi Lending Specialists Win Conditional Cert. In OT Row” Nov. 23, 2011 » |
New York Law Journal “Collective Action Wage-and-Hour Case Moves Forward” Nov. 29, 2011 » |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represents the victim who was sexually assaulted in the Sofitel Hotel by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund. Kenneth P. Thompson is lead counsel on the case. On May 1, 2012, Honorable Douglas E. McKeon denied Strauss-Kahn’s claim of absolute immunity.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP successfully represented the former Chief Financial Officer of Six Flags in claims of breach of contract and fraud. Douglas H. Wigdor was lead counsel for the former CFO and successfully litigated the case before former Second Circuit Judge George C. Pratt, who awarded our client $23.72 million in damages (plus attorneys’ fees and interest). | |
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New York Times “Six Flags Loses Arbitration Case to Former Executive” April 22, 2011 » Read pdf |
Bloomberg Businessweek “Former Six Flags CFO Wins $23.65M in Arbitration” April 22, 2011 » Read pdf |
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Reuters “Six Flags Says Arbitrator Rules in Favor of Former CFO” April 22, 2011 » Read pdf |
PR Newswire “Arbitration Award Issued” April 22, 2011 » Read pdf |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents one current and five former female employees alleging that Citigroup has a pattern and practice of discriminating on the basis of gender and/or pregnancy in terms of pay, promotion and layoffs. Douglas H. Wigdor, who was lead counsel in connection with a group of individual women in an alleged gender discrimination class action complaint against Dresdner Kleinwort, is representing the women in this matter and has coined the phrase “Recessionary Discrimination” which is a growing trend by companies of using mass lay-offs to cover-up the discriminatory treatment and/or impact on groups of women, people of color and those over 40. The former Citigroup employees are featured in a Forbes magazine cover story investigating the impact that the economic downturn has had on women in the financial services industry.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents Sal Marchiano, the Emmy-winning “dean” of New York sports television reporters, in an age discrimination action stemming from his false “retirement” from WPIX/Channel 11′s news team. Despite his long list of honors and accolades, management at WPIX decided to replace Mr. Marchiano with a reporter decades younger in a blatant act of ageism. Thompson Wigdor LLP also represents Larry Hoff, a former features reporter for WPIX in a separately filed age discrimination lawsuit. | |
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New York Times “Sportscasting Fixture Files Age-Discrimination Lawsuit” October 14, 2010 » Read pdf |
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Daily News “Lawsuit cries foul in PIX sportscaster’s exit” October 14, 2010 » Read pdf |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented Sherr-Una Booker, who was subjected to domestic violence by a former top aide to former Governor David Paterson.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP has filed a federal complaint on behalf of a former executive at JPMorgan Chase. As alleged in the complaint, the former executive was fired after she blew the whistle about possible violations of various federal securities and anti-money laundering laws. | |
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New York Times “Banker’s Suit Says She Was Fired for Questioning Account” May 12, 2010 » Read |
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Reuters “Top JPMorgan adviser says fired for whistleblowing” May 10, 2010 » Read |
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The Wall Street Journal “Ex-Wealth Manager Sues JPMorgan Over Termination” May 13, 2010 » Read |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a former Vice President of Goldman Sachs in a lawsuit pending in the Southern District of New York. As alleged in the Complaint, the former executive was “mommy-tracked” after returning from her first pregnancy leave and then terminated while she was on maternity leave for her second child. | |
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| ABC News “Mothers Accuse Goldman Sachs, Citigroup of Discrimination” March 29, 2010 » Read pdf |
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| New York Daily News “Former executive suing Goldman Sachs, claiming she was ‘mommy tracked’” March 25, 2010 » Read pdf |
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| The Wall Street Journal “Suit: Goldman ‘Mommy-Tracked’ Executive” March 24, 2010 » Read online |
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| The New York Times (Reuters) “Ex-VP Sues Goldman Over “Mommy Track” March 24, 2010 » Read pdf |
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| Bloomberg Business Week “Goldman Sued for Pregnancy Bias by Ex-Vice President (Update3)” March 24, 2010 » Read pdf |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currenty represents Emmy-award winning journalist and author Sandra Guzman, former veteran reporter Austin Fenner and current long time reporter Ikimulisa Livingston in their employment discrimination and unlawful retaliation cases against News Corp., the New York Post and several individual defendants.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP successfully represented a former employee of Nassau County in her Due Process claim against the County and other individuals. After a two week jury trial in the Eastern District of New York, the jury returned a verdict on Ms. Morgenstern’s compensatory and punitive damages in the sum of $1.8 million. After the verdict, the Court awarded $427,000 in back-pay, $1,059,000 in attorneys’ fees and $64,500 in costs for a total of approximately $3.35 million. Long Island Press New York Newsday Long Island Press New York Times Long Island Press |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents Danielle Pecile and Cristina Culicea in their sexual harassment and retaliation claims against their former employer Titan Capital Group and Epstein Becker & Green – their former counsel. The complaint details the harassing conduct of Marc and Russell Abrams which include Ms. Pecile and Ms. Culicea being subjected to nude photographs of Sandra Abrams – the wife of Russell Abrams as well as explicit threats made by Marc Abrams. | |
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Thomson Reuters News & Insight “Appeals court rules privilege in topless-photos case” May 25, 2011 » Read pdf |
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Employment Law 360 “Epstein Becker Sanctioned in Suit Over Topless Photos” November 5, 2009 » Read pdf |
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New York Law Journal “Court Sanctions Firm That Sued Adversary in Discrimination Suit” November 5, 2009 » Read pdf |
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New York Post “Frivolous Lawyer Fined” November 5, 2009 » Read pdf |
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New York Post “Sex Harass ‘Shakedown’” July 24, 2009 » Read pdf |
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New York Post “On Edge At Hedge” July 25, 2009 » Read pdf |
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Daily News “Hedge Fund’s Legal Mess Over Nude Pix” July 24, 2009 » Read pdf |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a large group of employees from AIG Financial Products Corp. in connection with the payments that they received pursuant to their legally binding retention agreements with the company, which led to a public outcry. Thompson Wigdor’s team of lawyers advised and protected these employees from the enormous amount of pressure by the federal and local governments, the media, the public, as well as AIG, to convince them to voluntarily return the money they earned under their contracts. As a result, Thompson Wigdor LLP was able to protect its clients’ interests in the face of threats and intimidation by elected officials and the public.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented the late great and Grammy-award winning songwriter and producer Teddy Vann in a copyright infringement lawsuit against film maker John Waters, the creator of the film Hairspray, and New Line Records. | |
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New York Daily News “Brooklyn Songwriter Muddies John Waters” November 24, 2008 » Read pdf. | Read online. |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents Godfrey Williams, a Black former Site Supervisor and Deputy Fire Safety Director, in a race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against Monday Properties, a Manhattan-based real estate investment firm, and Mulligan Security. In his Complaint, Mr. Williams charges Wayne Kohlbrecher, the Building Manager at Monday Properties, Kevin Mulligan, Executive Vice President of Mulligan Security, and John Llano, the former Account Manager at Mulligan Security, all of whom are named as Defendants, with subjecting him to daily racist remarks and abruptly terminating his employment just one month after submitting a formal written complaint in which he detailed the abusive and racially hostile work environment in which he was forced to work. This case has received television and print media attention in the New York press. | |
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New York Daily News “Bias Suit Calls City Building A Heil-Rise” November 10, 2008 » Read pdf. | Read online. |
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CBS News Channel December 2008 » View video of broadcast from CBS News |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented the family of Gregory McCullough, the 21-year-old young man who was driving the tow truck at the center of the Con Edison steampipe explosion in midtown Manhattan and was left critically injured with third degree burns over 80 percent of his body. Thompson Wigdor LLP also represents Judith Bailey, the passenger who sustained severe burns over 30 percent of her body.
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represents graduate student Lauren Summa in a retaliation lawsuit against Hofstra University. As detailed in the Complaint, while employed as a student athletic manager on the football team, Ms. Summa complained about unrelenting acts of harassment at the hands of male student football players. Ms. Summa reported the conduct to team coaches and other school officials who took a series of steps designed to retaliate against Ms. Summa. This case has received national media attention and is scheduled for a jury trial in the Eastern District of New York in September 2013. | |
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| Law360 April 11, 2013 » Read article. New York Law Journal Inside Higher Ed Newsday |
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| New York Post January 30, 2008 » Read article. |
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| Daily News January 30, 2008 » Read article. |
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| Sports Illustrated January 30, 2008 » Link to article |
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On December 20, 2007, Thompson Wigdor LLP won a $1.2 million dollar verdict after a two-week jury trial in Manhattan Federal Court in Nurse v. Concepts in Staffing, Inc. At trial, Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a Black Controller of a company who was repeatedly called a “Black Bitch” in the workplace and who was also groped, disrespected and degraded by the owner of the company. | |
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Employment Law 360º January 2, 2008 » Read pdf. |
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Daily News December 22, 2007 » Read pdf. | Read online. |
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In March 2007, Thompson Wigdor LLP obtained an acquittal at a federal criminal trial on behalf of a client who was charged by Federal Prosecutors with smuggling almost a kilogram of heroin into the country through John F. Kennedy International Airport. At trial, Thompson Wigdor LLP took over the defense of the client after a previous jury deadlocked 11 to 1 to convict him. | |
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After a two week trial, a jury in Manhattan Federal Court returned a multi-million dollar verdict on behalf of Kim Osorio. The jury found that Ms. Osorio was retaliated against when she filed a complaint of discrimination and was defamed when the co-owner of the Source, Raymond Scott (aka “Benzino”), claimed that she attempted to extort the Source. Individual defendant and co-owner David Mays was also found liable. | |
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Daily News “Hip-hop Mag Bagged” October 24, 2006 » Read the pdf |
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New York Post “Rap Sourceress Gets $15M” October 24, 2006 » Read the pdf |
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The Village Voice “The Source Under Fire” November 23, 2005 » Read the pdf | Read online |
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The New York Post ” ‘Source’ of Sex Harass” April 12, 2005 » Read the pdf |
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Thompson Wigdor LLP currently represents a former Senior Associate of Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe who has filed a lawsuit against the Firm and several individually named partners alleging that he was promised in writing to be put-up for partner in an effort to prevent him from leaving — only for that promise to be broken. | |
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The New York Times Newsday February 24, 2005 |
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| After an eight day trial in the Eastern District of New York, a federal jury returned a verdict of $7.5 million against Wal-Mart and an individual manager for discriminating against a disabled man with cerebal palsy. This jury verdict is one of the largest ever rendered under the ADA and has received worldwide media attention. | ||
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| February 24, 2005 Newsday article (pdf) | ||
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The New York Times The Wall Street Journal January 20, 2005 |
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| Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a group of executives and employees at a New York based Japanese Company, Marubeni, who alleged that they and other non-Asian and non-Japanese employees were subjected to rampant unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, gender, and/or national origin. The case received worldwide media attention. | ||
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Thompson Wigdor LLP represented individual women in an alleged gender discrimination class action complaint against Dresdner Kleinwort.
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The Wall Street Journal SEC.gov July 26, 2004 |
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| After revealing information concerning the HealthSouth scandal, a UBS Investment Banker was told that he would be terminated immediately. After retaining Thompson Wigdor LLP and threatening to file a claim under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Investment Banker was promoted and given a considerable bonus at year end. | ||
| July 26, 2004 Wall Street Journal article (pdf) | ||
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Upon being retained by filmmaker Keith Beauchamp, Thompson Wigdor LLP helped convince the United States Department of Justice to re-open the 1955 murder of 14-year old Emmett Till, which was one of the most horrific murders in the history of the civil rights movement. In connection with the case, Mr. Thompson has been featured on Good Morning America, and inThe New York Times, Newsday and The Daily News. | |
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| Daily News, April 14, 2004 | ||
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| Thompson Wigdor LLP won an acquittal at trial of a Hollywood Video Store Manager who was falsely accused of multiple rapes, sexual assaults and other sex offenses by six former store employees who testified at trial. The Store Manager was charged in a 25-count indictment and faced 135 years in prison. Thompson Wigdor LLP also later obtained a $500,000 settlement from the City of New York on behalf of the client in connection with his malicious prosecution lawsuit. | ||
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Poughkeepsie Journal January 30, 2004 |
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| Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a former employee of the United Way of Dutchess County in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against the United Way that has received considerable attention in the media following the resignation of one of the named-defendants and former executive director of the United Way of Dutchess County. | ||
Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a group of individuals who brought claims of racial profiling against Macy’s East Department stores which received significant media attention.
Thompson Wigdor LLP represented a group of former Radianz employees who brought claims of race discrimination against Radianz, Reuters PLC and Equant N.V. These claims received international media coverage including the BBC, the London Independent and Fox News.
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New York Post July 15, 2003 |
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| Thompson Wigdor LLP negotiated a dismissal of charges against actor Steve Buscemi and other protestors, after they locked arms to protest the closing of a historic firehouse in Brooklyn, New York. | ||
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New York Post May 5, 1999 |
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| “As the packed Brooklyn Federal courtroom hung on his every word, Thompson bombarded the jury with graphic descriptions of unimaginable violence and abuse of power.” | ||
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| “Nobody shifted, nor did a sound come from any throat when Kenneth Thompson, an Assistant United States Attorney, stood in front of the jury…” | |||
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Mr. Thompson wrote part of the offical report President Clinton received regarding the raid on the Branch Davidian Compound by Federal Agents. The report has been described as: |
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| “A thorough and candid account of a… law enforcement disaster.” Washington Post | |||
| “Courageous, candid evaluation.” Los Angeles Times | |||
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The New York Times recently published an article on Thompson Wigdor LLP's new offices located at 85 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The New York Times Blueprints – "Blue Marks the Spot for a Law Firm" January 11, 2009 Read online version. | Read pdf version. |
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Kenneth Thompson Appointed to Governor Cuomo's Judicial Screening Committees Governor Andrew Cuomo has appointed Kenneth P. Thompson to serve on his Judicial Screening Committee for the First Department and his Judicial Screening Committee for the Court of Claims. Read article > |
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Press Interviews Messrs. Thompson and Wigdor have frequently been interviewed and quoted in the national television and print media. |
 Office Romances Mr. Wigdor comments on agreements covering intimate relationships in the workplace. Play clip (wmv) | |
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NYSDHR Advocate Award In October 2005, Mr. Thompson was the recipient of the prestigious "Advocate Award" by the New York State Division of Human Rights on the 60th anniversary of the New York State Human Rights Law. |