POWBET：Attorney accused in 'quiet quitting' lawsuit files discrimination claim against NYC firm

A New York legal firm sued one of its attorneys, accusing her of using remote work as a vehicle to "quiet quit" while she devoted herself to a new venture.

Defendant Heather Palmore filed a countersuit against Napoli Shkolnik, accusing the firm, which specializes in personal injury litigation, of mistreating minority employees, "brazen bullying" and seeking to "intimidate people who stand up to them."

The firm's lawsuit, filed Feb. 23 in state court, accused Palmore of "breach of fiduciary duty of loyalty, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty of loyalty, injurious falsehood, unjust enrichment, declaratory judgment and constructive trust."

Palmore "misrepresented her skillset, experience, and book of business to obtain a position with Napoli Shkolnik, where she took advantage of the new remote work environment to 'quiet quit' her job, and simultaneously worked for two law firms at once," according to the firm's lawsuit, filed in Nassau County.

The firm accused Palmore of "performing little to no work for Napoli Shkolnik, and while directly competing with the firm by simultaneously running Defendant Palmore Law Group, P.C."

In her counterclaim, Palmore said partner Paul Napoli recruited her to be the firm's chief trial counsel in October 2021.

"Ms. Palmore has been subjected to and witnessed egregious race and disability discrimination by senior management as part of their standard operating procedures," she says a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Monday.

Palmore said she agreed to engage in mediation to settle her claims but claimed the firm used the time to "fabricate its own bogus lawsuit to file before Ms. Palmore could file her lawsuit — and gain some ill-conceived strategic advantage by filing first."

She said an "example of egregious discriminatory conduct" happened in December 2021, when "a stuffed bear was hung from a noose on a light fixture in direct view of her office."

The firm said that Palmore was never committed to her job and that she established her own company almost as soon as she was hired.

"Further, not even one month after Defendant Palmore was hired by the Plaintiff, Defendant Palmore established her own separate law firm — the 'The Palmore Group, P.C.' — which she was operating and marketing while claiming to work on a full time, attention, and energy basis for Plaintiff," it said.