Linklaters teams with the National Women’s Law Center on Amicus Brief for Gender Justice
Linklaters has filed an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on behalf of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and 30 other organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, National Organization for Women Foundation, and Women’s Law Project in support of Nicole Chase, a 27-year-old woman.
Ms. Chase was sexually assaulted by the owner of the restaurant where she worked. The following police investigation was rife with gender bias, undermining Chase’s sexual assault investigation and compounding the trauma for her. The brief highlights these serious harms and seeks justice for Ms. Chase and other survivors of sexual assault.
Linklaters partner Pam Shores, who is on the Leadership Advisory Committee of the NWLC, commented, “We were proud to work with the NWLC in support of Ms. Chase and others who deserve fair and unbiased investigations from law enforcement. The brief was particularly timely in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard and related demonstrations around women’s safety in London.”
Adam Lurie, Head of Linklaters’ U.S. Dispute Resolution practice, added, “This is an important pro bono project. All survivors of sexual violence deserve fair and unbiased investigations free from retaliation.”
The NWLC is a non-profit legal advocacy organization that fights for gender justice in the courts, in public policy and society. NWLC advocates to ensure that women can live free of sexual harassment, including assault, in the workplace, schools, healthcare settings and beyond. The NWLC Fund houses and administers the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which improves access to justice for those facing workplace sexual harassment, including through grants to support legal representation.
A team of Linklaters lawyers in Washington, D.C., New York and London worked with the NWLC on the brief led by partner Adam Lurie and counsel Patrick Ashby alongside partner Pam Shores and associates Somin Lee, Stephanie Sebastian, Mary Han, Kunal Kanodia, Meghna Sridhar and Adam Fitzgerald.
