Firm says it will ‘vigorously’ defend ‘baseless’ claims
A White & Case employee has brought a legal claim against the global law firm alleging he was “stripped naked” and photographed by his supervisor while unconscious at a firm retreat. The firm describes the claims as “baseless” and says it will defend them “vigorously”.
The claimant, referred to in court documents as ‘John Doe’, works as a digital production specialist at the firm and filed the complaint in a New York court this week.
The alleged incident took place one evening in February 2023 at a hotel in Palm Springs, California, during a firm retreat. John Doe says he became unconscious and was escorted to his hotel room by a senior manager, referred to in court documents only as ‘John Doe Manager’. Once there, it is claimed that the manager and “potentially other colleagues” removed his clothes and photographed his naked body without his consent.
The claimant says he remained completely unaware the images existed until January 2026, when a colleague showed him the photos on his phone at a bar in London during another firm event. He says he was ridiculed about the size of his anatomy by colleagues present at the gathering.
“[John Doe] immediately recognised his own body in the photograph, specifically
noting the positioning of an ingrown hair, the presence of the hotel bath towel in the background of the image, and other indications,” according to the complaint.
The claimant is said to have reported the incident to White & Case’s management the same evening. Despite this, the complaint states that “rather than rectifying this egregious violation, White & Case has shielded the perpetrators, conducted a sham internal investigation, and retaliated against [John Doe] for speaking out.”
He says he was forced to take disability leave and is seeking medical treatment for PTSD and severe anxiety.
The complaint further alleges that despite the firm’s outward image of “elite prestige”, its parties “have become a breeding ground for misconduct, sexual harassment, and the degradation of minority employees.”
Among the remedies sought, John Doe is asking the court to award compensatory and punitive damages, order the removal of the images from all White & Case devices, and require the firm to implement mandatory harassment and discrimination training.
A spokesperson for White & Case said:
“We’re aware of this matter and while we take all such allegations seriously, these claims are baseless and we intend to defend them vigorously through the appropriate process. White & Case is committed to maintaining a professional, respectful and inclusive workplace, and we have robust policies and procedures in place to support the high standards we have for our people and our Firm.”