The Source Magazine and its Founders Hit With Multi-Million Dollar Verdict in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

25 October 2006

Last night, after a two week-long gender discrimination trial in Manhattan Federal Court before United States District Judge Jed Rakoff, a jury returned a multi-million dollar verdict in favor of Kimberly Osorio, the former Editor-in-Chief of the Source Magazine.

After only four hours of deliberation, the jury found that Ms. Osorio was unlawfully retaliated against after she filed a complaint of gender discrimination with the Source's Vice President of Human Resources, Julie Als. The jury not only found the Source liable for retaliation, but also found David Mays and Raymond "Benzino" Scott, the founders of the Source, liable. Scott was also held liable for defamation arising out of defamatory statements he made about Ms. Osorio during an interview following her termination. In addition to the multi-million dollar verdict, the jury also found that Ms. Osorio was entitled to punitive damages for her unlawful termination.

After the trial, Ms. Osorio stated, "I'm very happy that the jury believed in me."

Ken Thompson, a partner at Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP, and lead counsel for Ms. Osorio, commented that "the verdict shows that all women must be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what industry they work in." Douglas H. Wigdor, co-counsel at trial, declared that "employers must understand that they will be held accountable if they fire an employee because they have raised a legitimate complaint of discrimination." In addition, "it's important to remember that the verdict vindicates not only Kimberly Osorio, but also all of the other women who put aside their fears, came forward and testified at trial," stated Michelle Le Roux, another member of the trial team.

About Thompson Wigdor and Gilly: Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP http://twglawyers.com/ is a recently founded firm, specializing in handling high-profile, complex litigation and government investigations, as well as counseling clients in a wide array of substantive legal areas, including employment law, criminal law, sports and entertainment law, labor relations, and civil rights. They can be reached at (212) 239-9292 or info@twglawyers.com.

CONTACT:

Kenneth P. Thompson

(212) 239-9292

Source: prnewswire

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