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A well-known lawyer who founded a law firm to fight for women's issues has been sued by an office manager who claims he sexually harassed her. Lisa Brockington says that Jack Tuckner, of Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser (whose firm URL is womensrightsny.com), is a "chauvinist masquerading as a woman's advocate."
The firm represented Brockington in a job discrimination suit, and after it was settled, she interned at the firm and was later hired as an office manager. But, as she tells it, the job soon turned into a nightmare. From the Daily News:
She discovered an overheated environment in which Tuckner allegedly referred to her as "the ultimate shiksa so highly coveted by inner-city Jews such as him," the suit charges.The Post's details these tidbits: Tuckner allegedly told Brockington "he had numerous tattoos and body piercings, including pierced genitalia" and he "wears a bondage 'slave' collar in the office."The partner is also accused of engaging in X-rated workplace conversations in which he discussed burning his "you-know-what" with a lotion his girlfriend gave him.
The suit said Tuckner told Brockington he was a piercing enthusiast who was "extremely into spanking" and kept a screen saver on his computer that shows him kneeling at the feet of his girlfriend, who was dressed in a black dominatrix outfit.
Plus, according to the lawsuit, when Brockington Googled Tuckner's girlfriend's name--Mia Metzger--she found an ad saying "I am a Dominant Woman with a long-term male slave. I seek to add a female service oriented slave to our family...[and] a man who is interested in partnering with me in a cuckold relationship." Oddly enough, when you Google "Lisa Brockington," the first result is for the law firm...and the page is now for "Mia Metzger." (Here's the cached page with Brockington's description.)
Tuckner, Sipser, Weinstock & Sipser, whose past clients have sued Madison Square Garden for race discrimination, Faye Wattleton for pregnancy discrimination, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for bias, and other high-profile organizations, denies all the accusations and a lawyer said, "These false and misleading charges are a reflection of the person bringing the charges and are in no way a reflection of Jack Tuckner or of [the firm]." Brockington resigned from the firm in January, after a tumor scare.
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What crime was committed here?
this guy is going to give lawyers a good name.
What this man is into is none of anyone's business. If she saw the setting at the office and did not like it then she should have just left the firm. This is NYC after all. Many other jobs just waiting to be filled. She is just looking for a quick buck. This will be her 2nd law suit... nice. And what a dumb ass to hire a client!!!
Yeah, it's like, "I'm suing you for being a sleazeball!"
If being a sleazeball is a crime every lawyer in the country is going down.
It's inappropriate workplace conversation, but nothing to sue over.
This is the old-fashioned bullshit version of sexual harassment, the idea that women are so fragile that they can't possibly deal with general expressions of a sexual nature.
There's really only one detail in the Post account that seems even possibly over the line - "He also once suggested he had visited the bathroom to masturbate after staring at her, Brockington said."
That actually entails her personally in a way that is not appropriate. However, considering how the suit is apparently stuffed with totally pointless details it seems likely that this is an unreasonable interpretation of whatever he actually did say.
I worked as an intern at this firm in 2003-2004. Jack Tuckner was nothing but completely professional. Also, some of the other interns were men, so the claim that it's an all-female work environment is false. Who knows what happened since then--people change--but I also remember this client, and I stand with the firm.
I looked at her picture. She's nobody's ultimate shicksa.
She's (literally) nothing but a barking dog. Her public allegation ploy is just a way to get a quickie damage control settlement so she can buy herself some new shoes. I'd settle up too: so she could load up on Payless.
This guy is basically getting a taste of his own medicine. I think it's poetic justice.
Sonyactivision, your misuse of the word "literally" injures me.
Its always smart to hide in plain site
"wears a bondage 'slave' collar in the office."
J'suz Chrizt!
I agree with bklnyd.. That's not sexual harassment (except for the masturbating to her comment) but just a kind of weird guy. She's hurting women more than he did. Oh noes! My virgin ears!
this whole thing is toooo funny!
I just remember their subway ads, which had a group shot of everyone in the office, the sole African-American woman at firm front and center, wearing a look on her face that pretty much said "no way in hell you'd put me front and center if this photo wasn't for an ad."
I want to know about the 'tumor scare.'
i dont see there is anything wrong in watching porn on your computer or having a dom girlfriend.
but i obviously see there is something wrong with the person who objects to the above, and worse, files a lawsuit! whats worse, this woman thinks she is being a feminist by doing this... in reality she is causing harm to women liberation movements..
hey i used to be an intern at this law firm and i can only say that these are some of the finest and most professional of lawyers. Jack is a great social justice activist apart from being an advocate. i know the office manager too and she is clearly lying. she has done this in the past to extort money too.
and this report is false. lisa did not quit three years ago. she was working until four months back. and none of us ever found anything sexist in the environment. what is she talking about. how exactly is she "betrayed, abused and humiliated" as her attorney says. there is no case here, really. oh lisa, why did you have to do such a thing? you are harming women more. its a shame.
finally we have a statement from jack tuckner himself. hopefully the media will also publish his version, now that the yellow journalism war (or the media trial) is coming to a standstill over this matter.
http://womensrightsny.com/blog/2008/06/06/tuckner/
"As anyone who has telephoned our firm from the moment of her hire until the day she quit would attest, Ms. Brockington only used kind and supportive words to describe my own lawyering skills, personality and deep commitment to my clients. Ms. Brockington’s own words completely undermine her present claims against me.
Her sensationalistic allegations, replete as they are with shocking and personally outrageous and destructive claims against me and this firm, are, simply stated, all lies. As a careful reading of her “story” will reveal, some of her allegations could not have actually occurred during the time period during which she worked for this firm, others are mere fantasy and pure fiction, and others are her attempt to conflate personal private, consensual behavior–of which I’ve been an outspoken champion for the entirety of my professional life–with non-existent workplace activity.
The local tabloid media reported these entirely unfounded and baseless claims against me and this firm raised by this one former disgruntled employee, yet did not feel it prudent or necessary to investigate her story in a quest for the whole truth."
To Poster "LauraisHorrible" who worked as an intern for this office from 03-04. Well let me tell you something I was a client at this firm until recently for two years and there was not ONE male intern! All were females and very young to boot! Maybe once upon a time this was a good firm or he was a good attorney, but from my personal experience he is a piece of chite attorney and there is a small group of us who will be filing a formal complaint against him. His problems have just begun!
To NYCBlogger. You are all over the place blogging regarding this case. Is it really you Jack posing as a blogger or your twisted girlfriend Mia?
To poster "Breuklyn." You are so llyyiinngg... None of those young women were happy. It was written all over there face. Does anyone sincerely believe such a case can get so much coverage without there being witnesses? Do all of you fools who are defending this man believe an attorney would put his reputation at stake and take on such a case without ample proof to present to the courts? Rather than reading news articles why not create an account with Pacer and read the actual complaint submitted to the courts. Jack Tuckner is nothing but a media hound and couldn't care less about his female clients who won't offer him any media coverage.