Discrimination and Harassment Cases

Lawsuit Against MongoDB for Young Woman Pushed to Suicide by Unlawful Firing

On December 18, 2025, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a complaint against MongoDB Inc. (hereinafter, “MongoDB”) on behalf of Anna (“Annie”) Surman. The complaint alleges that MongoDB unlawfully fired Ms. Surman, leading to her tragic death and causing significant harm to her family. Further, the complaint alleges that MongoDB violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law by failing to provide Annie with reasonable accommodations and wrongfully terminating her because of her disability.

American Airlines and Coast Flight Training Misrepresentation and Race Discrimination Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eighteen former American Airlines Cadet Academy cadets (“the Cadets”) against American Airlines, Inc. and American Airlines Group, Inc. (“American Airlines”), and Coast Flight Training and Management, Inc. (“Coast”) (collectively, “Defendants”) and American Airlines Federal Credit Union, alleging that the Defendants made false and misleading statements and targeted the Cadets, all people of color, to induce them to attend a discriminatory pilot training academy.

Valdes v. Cornerstone Capital Bank

Sanford Heisler Secures Victory for Mortgage Executive. Cornerstone Capital Bank Forfeits Its Case Against Manuel Valdes, Agreeing to Drop All Claims for $0 After Suing Him in 2023. A Texas bank that fired and sued a former employee after he reported discrimination and retaliation has dropped its case for $0 after previously seeking to make the employee repay years of compensation. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP (“Sanford Heisler”) represented the employee in this complete defense victory.

Swiftly Systems Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

On March 4, 2025, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of Jiin Ko, a former executive at Swiftly System, LLC (“Swiftly”), alleging discrimination and retaliation against the company and its CEO, Henry Kim, and aiding and abetting retaliation against Swiftly’s counsel.

Kraft Heinz Lawsuit

Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a $30 million civil action in the Eastern District of California against Kraft Heinz Foods Company on behalf of former employees Alex Horn, Lance Aytman, and Keith Hooker.

Charge of Discrimination Against Saint Augustine’s University

On December 19, 2023, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) on behalf of Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail, former president of Saint Augustine’s University, alleging discrimination and retaliation against the University and its Board of Trustees.

State Farm Algorithm Bias Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is serving as co-lead counsel in a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging that State Farm’s use of algorithms in claims processing has led to racial bias against Black policyholders, whose homeowner insurance claims are flagged for greater scrutiny than those of white policyholders.

Teachers College Discrimination Lawsuit

On April 17, 2024, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a lawsuit against Teachers College, Columbia University on behalf of Associate Professor of Practice Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess’. The Complaint alleges discrimination based on Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’ religion (Islam). The lawsuit further alleges that after registering her discrimination complaints, the College retaliated against Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess’, including by refusing to consider her for tenure track and reducing her regular wages.

U.S. Marshals Race Discrimination Class Action

On September 26, 2023, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight and the U.S. Marshals Service announced that a settlement has been reached ending their class action litigation in Fogg v. Garland. Pending final approval by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the settlement provides for a fund of $15 million to be distributed among eligible members of the class, and for the U.S. Marshals Service to institute programmatic relief in the agency’s promotion, recruitment, and hiring of qualified individuals, through improved training and remedial changes to its policies and practices.

UM School of Medicine Race and Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dr. Omaida Velazquez against the University of Miami (“UM”) and its Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, alleging gender, race, and national origin discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and breach of contract.

Novartis Pharmaceutical Gender Discrimination Class Action

In the largest gender discrimination case to ever go to trial, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight successfully represented a class of 5,600 female sales representatives of Novartis Pharmaceutical Company in their gender pay and promotion and pregnancy discrimination claims. A unanimous decision by a jury of nine found Novartis liable for gender discrimination in pay and promotion and pregnancy-related matters and awarded 12 former Novartis sales reps $3.36 million in compensatory damages and the class of 5,600 women an additional $250 million in punitive damages In addition, the verdict from the jury meant that the remaining 5,600 women in the class were also entitled to additional awards of backpay and to seek compensatory damage awards up to $300,000 each. The verdict and the resulting monetary awards was the largest ever in the U.S in an employment discrimination case.

De Niro Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is representing Graham Chase Robinson, a former longtime employee of actor Robert De Niro, in her claims of gender discrimination and retaliation against Mr. De Niro and his corporate alter ego, Canal Productions, Inc. (“Canal”). The civil trial began Monday, October 30, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit was filed on October 3, 2019.

Harvard University Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a lawsuit on February 8, 2022, against Harvard University and the President and Fellows of Harvard College. The Complaint alleges that Harvard violated Title IX and Massachusetts Civil Rights and Common laws by willfully ignoring a near-decade-long pattern of sexual harassment and retaliation by tenured Anthropology Professor John Comaroff against three female graduate students in Harvard’s Anthropology Department. The Complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of the three students, Margaret Czerwienski, Lilia Kilburn, and Amulya Mandava.

Volkswagen AG Age Discrimination Collective Action

Attorneys from Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight today filed a class action Complaint against Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (Volkswagen AG) and two of its wholly owned United States subsidiaries in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. It alleges Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., and Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, LLC are engaged in a company-wide policy of age discrimination against employees 50 years and older.

Suzy Reingold v. Cushman and Wakefield, Inc.

(October 21, 2013, New York, NY) – Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight a leading national public interest law firm, today filed a more than $20 million employment discrimination lawsuit in Supreme Court, New York County, against Cushman and Wakefield, Inc. (C&W), the largest private real estate company in the world.

Super Steel Schenectady Race Harassment Class Action

A class of African-American employees was subjected to death threats and racist harassment. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight settled the case for $1.25 million in damages and a consent decree that effected significant reform in Super Steel Schenectady.

Smith Nephew Race Discrimination Class Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented a class of African-Americans in race discrimination claims against Smith and Nephew, an international medical devices corporation. Our clients suffered discrimination in hiring, pay, and promotions. The Court approved a $4 million class settlement in November 2009. In addition to the $4M award, the Court approved extensive non-monetary, systemic changes at Smith and Nephew.

Zara Discrimination/Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

On June 3, 2015, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a lawsuit against the clothing retailer Zara USA, Inc. (“Zara”) and two senior executives on behalf of Ian Jack Miller, Zara’s former in-house counsel. The lawsuit alleged that Zara discriminated against Mr. Miller based on his religion, national origin, and sexual orientation, culminating in Mr. Miller’s wrongful termination, in violation of the New York City and New York State Human Rights laws.

John Elway Toyota Race Discrimination

Timothy Sandquist is an African-American male who was a knowledgeable, high-performing and hardworking employee at John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota for more than 10 years. He started at the dealership as a Sales Representative in 2000 and worked his way up to Sales Manager in early 2008. During the two years Mr. Sandquist assumed the duties of the General Sales Manager, without the official title or the pay, the dealership had its most successful years selling cars, attaining the Toyota President’s Award two years in a row.

Metro Nashville Airport Authority Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (“MNAA”) on behalf of Robert Wigington, the Airport Authority’s former President and Chief Executive Officer. The Complaint alleges MNAA refused to allow Wigington to resume his job duties and responsibilities when he returned to work after recovering from liver transplant surgery.

Ogletree PAGA Lawsuit

Attorneys from Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight late yesterday filed a gender discrimination suit against Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart, PC, (“Ogletree”) and five of its current and/or former male leaders in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego.

Merck Gender Pregnancy Discrimination Class Action

UPDATE: On April 27, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted Plaintiffs’ motion to conditionally certify a collective action under the Equal Pay Act in the gender discrimination suit filed against pharmaceutical giant Merck and Co., Inc. The Court further ordered that thousands of female Merck sales representatives should be given notice and an opportunity to join the case. The lawsuit alleges that Merck systematically discriminates against female sales representatives generally, and against pregnant women in particular, in pay, promotions, and other terms and conditions of employment. The Court found that Plaintiffs’ allegations of discrimination in pay sufficed to warrant notifying potential class members of the EPA lawsuit. Plaintiffs’ evidence included information suggesting that Named Plaintiffs were paid less than men they identified as comparators, as well as a preliminary expert report finding those female sales representatives in the S1 and S2 tiers earned less per year on average than male sales representatives in those tiers.

University of Arizona Gender Discrimination – Collective Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight added another female former dean to the gender discrimination collective action lawsuit the firm filed last month against the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Yale University Gender Discrimination

From 2019 to 2021, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented three female students and an on-campus organization at Yale in a lawsuit alleging that the school’s males-only fraternity system discriminates against women and subjects them to a sexually hostile environment. After Sanford Heisler filed the Title IX and Fair Housing Act lawsuit, at least one fraternity opened its membership to people of all genders.

Western Digital Class Action

On Jan. 5, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted final approval of a $7.75 million class and collective action settlement in this case against Western Digital Corporation and Western Digital Technologies, Inc. on behalf of a class of 1,863 female employees alleging sex discrimination and unequal pay. Under the Settlement, over $5 million was distributed directly to class members, and Western Digital instituted comprehensive programmatic relief designed to ensure equal opportunities for women at the company.

Fabio Silva v. Giorgio Armani Corp. et al.

September 15, 2015, New York – It’s Fashion Week in New York – even in New York County Supreme Court, where Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight today filed suit against famed Italian designer Giorgio Armani.

Columbia University Title IX Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a sexual harassment suit under federal and New York law against the Trustees of Columbia University and the institution’s noted history professor, William V. Harris, in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.

EXL Service Holdings, Inc. Gender Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight today filed suit against EXL Service Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXLS), one of the world’s largest operations management and data analytics companies, and its senior officers, on behalf of its former General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Nancy Saltzman.

University of Arizona Gender Discrimination Collective Action

The Complaint, brought under the federal Equal Pay Act (EPA), alleges that ABOR dramatically underpaid Dr. MacCorquodale during her tenure as Honors College Dean relative to male deans at the university and to her male successors at the Honors College. Dean MacCorquodale had been employed by UA since 1978.

Cushman and Wakefield Race Gender Discrimination Suit

(September 25, 2018) – Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight a leading national public interest law firm, today filed a $30 million race and gender discrimination lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against multibillion-dollar commercial real estate behemoth Cushman and Wakefield, Inc.

Chadbourne and Parke LLP Discrimination Class Action

April 20 Update: Below is a statement from David Sanford, chair of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight regarding law firm Chadbourne and Parke’s vote to expel his client Kerrie Campbell from the partnership. Ms. Campbell was a litigation partner at Chadbourne in Washington, DC, on whose behalf Mr. Sanford filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against Chadbourne last year.

Sedgwick Discrimination Class Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed an Amended Complaint in arbitration in the gender discrimination class and collective action, Ribeiro v. Sedgwick, LLP (in arbitration as Sedgwick, LLP v. Ribeiro).

Sanofi-Aventis Gender Discrimination Class Action

In 2007, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented a class of approximately 6,000 female sales employees in pay and promotion and gender discrimination claims against the pharmaceutical corporation, Sanofi-Aventis U.S. The settlement produced more than $15 million in monetary benefits plus the $13.4 million reverberating effect of a $2 million pay equity adjustment over a five-year period.

Proskauer Rose LLP Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

On October 5, 2011, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a $10 million employment discrimination complaint against international law firm Proskauer Rose LLP on behalf of Proskauer’s longtime female Chief Financial Officer, Elly Rosenthal.

Dartmouth Title IX Class Action

On Jan. 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire granted preliminary approval of the class action settlement arising from the misconduct of former tenured professors Todd Heatherton, William Kelley, and Paul in Dartmouth’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Under the Settlement Agreement, Dartmouth has agreed to pay $14,000,000. In addition to this monetary payment, Dartmouth has agreed to a forward-looking commitment to undertake certain programmatic measures.

Xilinx, Inc. Lawsuit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight and Fitzgerald Knaier filed a $365 million lawsuit against Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq: XLNX) on behalf of its former Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications, Sabrina Joseph. Based in San Jose, Xilinx is a pioneering leader in adaptive computing in the semiconductor industry.

Qualcomm Gender Discrimination Class Action

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 26, 2016 — Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight one of the nation’s leading class action firms, today announced that it had reached agreement with Qualcomm Incorporated in which Qualcomm will pay $19.5 million to settle a gender discrimination class action suit. In addition to monetary relief, the settlement requires Qualcomm to institute comprehensive programmatic relief, which will ensure that female employees working, for example, in STEM and related positions will enjoy equal job opportunities at the company. The settlement on behalf of a class of approximately 3300 women was reached before Plaintiffs filed suit. As part of the settlement process, Plaintiffs are required to file a class complaint and move for preliminary approval of the agreement in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Daiichi Sankyo Gender Discrimination Class Action

On February 11, 2013, six current and former female pharmaceutical sales professionals filed a class and collective action gender discrimination lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging discrimination in pay, promotion and other terms and conditions of employment based on gender, pregnancy and family responsibilities.

Cracker Barrel Race Discrimination Class Action

David Sanford was lead counsel in a race discrimination class action suit against Cracker Barrel restaurants. The case concerned discrimination in pay and promotion, and also involved discrimination against African-American customers. The United States Department of Justice intervened in the case after five years of litigation and the suit settled for $8.7 million.

Fairfield Resorts Gender Discrimination Sexual Harassment Class Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented a class of women in a sexual harassment and gender discrimination claims against Fairfield Resorts Incorporated, a major resort and timeshare company. The case was settled on behalf of all female employees at Fairfield’s Nashville, Tennessee facility in 2006, with more than $5 million in damages and significant modifications to Fairfield’s internal policies and procedures.

Forest Laboratories Gender Discrimination Class Action – $4 Million Settlement

On June 29, 2018, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight secured final approval of a $4 million class settlement reached in April 2017 for female sales force members of Forest Laboratories and Forest Pharmaceuticals (“Forest”). Judge Ronnie Abrams’ order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York was the capstone of six years of litigation in Barrett et al v. Forest Laboratories, Inc., et al. on behalf of the named plaintiffs and a class of other female employees of the pharmaceutical giant who experienced systematic gender discrimination at the company.

Beth Burns Wrongful Termination Suit

Beth Burns, the winningest women’s basketball coach in San Diego State University history (SDSU) inked a final settlement agreement with the University, putting a period on a long and contentious litigation

Columbia University Sexual Harassment Case

(March 23, 2016) New York, NY – Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a complaint Tuesday night in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Columbia University. The complaint alleges that the lip service Columbia pays to gender diversity doesn’t match the reality of how it treats the women who work there. The complaint provides extensive details regarding how the senior leadership of Columbia – including the Provost of the University and the Dean of Columbia Business School – allowed one of Columbia’s senior, tenured professors to sexually harass and obstruct the work of a female junior faculty member, plaintiff Enrichetta Ravina.

Garda Gender Discrimination Sexual Harassment Case

In February 2015, former Vice President of Business Process and Integration Nicole Watson filed a complaint alleging gender discrimination and sexual harassment against Garda, a company that provides armored trucks throughout the United States and touts itself as being a “global leader in comprehensive security and risk management.” The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Boston Scientific Gender Discrimination Case

In March 2015, class representatives Denise Fretter and Maria Korsgaard filed a $50 million nationwide class and collective action against the Valencia, CA-based medical device manufacturer, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (BSNC), in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Plaintiffs allege systemic violations of the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act stemming from the company’s treatment of women who worked in its sales force hierarchy.

KPMG Gender Discrimination Case

On April 13, 2021, the Court approved the settlement agreement in Kassman et al. v. KPMG. The motion to approve the agreement and the Court’s Order are linked on the right.

General Electric Race Discrimination Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented Marc Thomas, President and CEO of General Electric Aviation Materials, in his suit on behalf of himself and other African-American executives at GE. Mr. Thomas alleged racial discrimination in pay and promotions at the highest levels of the GE Corporate structures. Sanford Heisler settled the case for undisclosed terms.

Ikon Office Solutions Race Discrimination Class Action

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight represented a class of African-American employees who were denied equal treatment in pay and promotion. The case settled for $1.3 million in monetary and systemic relief.