DLA Piper Wins Pregnancy Discrimination Case Brought by Former Lawyer

A federal jury in Manhattan has rejected claims that the US law firm dismissed an associate in 2022 after she requested maternity leave, finding it not liable for discrimination under state and federal law.

A federal jury in Manhattan on Monday ruled in favour of DLA Piper, rejecting claims brought by a former lawyer who alleged that the firm fired her in 2022 after she sought maternity leave.

The jury found DLA Piper not liable for alleged discrimination under New York City, state and federal law following a one-week trial, according to a spokesperson for the firm.

The verdict represents a setback for former associate Anisha Mehta and her lawyers at New York-based employment firm Wigdor LLP. Her legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, DLA Piper said: “This verdict shows that the firm acted in accordance with the law and upheld its standard of excellence for lawyers in the firm.”

Mehta alleged in her 2023 lawsuit that she was dismissed less than a week after requesting maternity leave while she was six months pregnant. She claimed the firm was experiencing a reduction in legal work and facing pressure from clients over billing rates, and that it sought to avoid paying her salary.

At the time, Mehta was a senior associate in the firm’s intellectual property practice, working across San Francisco and New York.

DLA Piper argued in court filings that her dismissal was justified, stating that she was unable to perform at the level expected of a seventh-year associate.

DLA Piper is one of the highest-grossing law firms in the United States, with revenues exceeding $4.2 billion in 2024, according to data published by The American Lawyer.

The case is a relatively rare example of a major law firm proceeding to trial over discrimination allegations, as such disputes are often settled or dismissed beforehand.

In 2024, another Manhattan federal jury sided with Davis Polk & Wardwell in a separate discrimination case brought by one of its associates.

The case is Anisha Mehta v. DLA Piper LLP, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1:23-cv-04757).

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