A Vietnamese former employee at Williams Mullen, a large law firm based in Richmond, Virginia, has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against the firm, accusing it of discrimination and sexual harassment.
The lawsuit states that Robert Eicher, a partner at Williams Mullen, “repeatedly engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviors and made ethnic slurs. Shortly after (Hanh Nguyen) Allgood’s hire, Eicher approached Allgood in her cubicle, introduced himself and asked if she was from Viet Nam. When Allgood responded in the affirmative, he then gestured toward her genital area and asked whether her vagina was horizontal or vertical.”

Robert Eicher
In what the lawsuit refers to as the “cucumber incident,” Eicher allegedly put a cucumber in his pants pocket and then hugged and pressed the cucumber up against Allgood’s thigh desipte her attempts to pull away from him. Allgood complained to management and other employees, several of whom told her that they were also victims of the cucumber incident.
The complaint states that Eicher “often walked around the firm dressed as a doctor showing his gloves and asking female staff if they wanted to be ‘examined.’ Eicher also had several sexual relationships with employees and publicly described his sexual encounters with them.”
Douglas Nabhan, another Williams Mullen partner, often made racially derogatory comments about Allgood’s meals insinuating that she prepared her food with dog and cat meat. Nabhan also referred to Allgood’s ex-husband as “the wet back” because he is Hispanic.

Douglas Nabhan
Allgood claims that no action was taken by the firm to address her complaints of sexual harassment. As a result, the sexually hostile work environment allegedly became worse for Allgood. Moreover, the firm allegedly carried out a campaign of retaliation against Allgood as a result of her complaints, and she was ultimately fired in March 2007.
This is not the first workplace bullying lawsuit that was filed by employees against Williams Mullen. Last year, seven former and current employees filed discrimination complaints with the EEOC claiming a hostile work environment.
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Former Editor sues New York Post for discrimination and harassment
Sandra Guzman, an Emmy award winning journalist and former editor at the New York Post, filed a lawsuit against the newspaper for having created a racially hostile work environment and for unlawfully retaliating against Guzman after she complained about the alleged discriminatory treatment and after she publicly opposed a controversial political cartoon about US President Barack Obama. Guzman was fired from the NY Post on September 29, 2009.
The lawsuit states that “behind the trumpeted headlines and within the four walls of the Post exists a hostile work environment where female employees and employees of color have been subjected to pervasive and systemic discrimination and/or unlawful harassment based on their gender, race, color and/or national origin. The Post, and its parent corporation, News Corporation maintain, condone, tolerate, directly participate in and contribute to a hostile work environment.”
Guzman accused NY Post editor-in-chief Col Allan of having “actively and directly participated in the discrimination, harassment and unlawful retaliation committed against (Guzman).” The lawsuit also states that “Allan’s repeated inappropriate and sexist comments and conduct have been widely known throughout the Company.” For example, the lawsuit accuses Allan of showing Guzman and three other female employees pictures of a naked man on his cellphone and asking them what they thought of the picture.
The lawsuit also accuses Les Goodstein, the Senior Vice President of News Corp., of sexually harassing Guzman by repeatedly telling her that she looked “sexy” and “beautiful” and by referring to her as “Cha Cha #1.”
Guzman alleges that her numerous complaints about the workplace bullying were ignored by company management.
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Posted in bad bosses, bully, bullying, discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, hostile workplaces, racial harassment, rate my boss, retaliation, sexual harassment, Toxic Workplaces, workplace bullies, workplace bullying, wrongful termination lawsuit
Tagged Barack Obama political cartoon, bullies, bully, bullying, Cha Cha #1, Col Allan, Col Allan sued by Sandra Guzman for discrimination and harassment, discrimination, eboss watch blog, eBossWatch, harassment, hostile work environment, New York Post, New York Post Editor Col Allan sued for discrimination, News Corp accused of hostile work environment, News Corp's Les Goodstein sued by Sandra Guzman for sexual harassment, NY Post, retaliation, Sandra Guzman, Sandra Guzman discrimination and harassment lawsuit against NY Post, Sandra Guzman New York Post hostile work environment lawsuit, sexist comments, workplace bullying, wrongful termination