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BigLaw firm concluded partner's email to Black associate wasn't racist because 'he treated other people terribly too,' suit alleges

Complaints about discriminatory conduct at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders “were often ignored, and, when they were not, met with gaslighting, apathy or swift retaliation,” according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a fired Black female associate.

The suit by former associate Gita F. Sankano says she was fired after complaining about an “outrageously demeaning, dehumanizing and demoralizing” August 2023 email from partner Matthew Bowsher, who insulted her cognitive ability. The email was “unfortunately characteristic of his behavior towards her and other Black women at the firm,” the suit says.

Bowsher is not named as a defendant in the Jan. 17 suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Sankano is represented by the Wigdor law firm, according to a Jan. 17 press release.

Troutman Pepper took 77 days to investigate the email after Sankano’s complaint.

“It came as no surprise when, on Oct. 27, 2023, the firm concluded that Mr. Bowsher had not engaged in discrimination because he treated other people terribly too,” the suit says.

Sankano was fired a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the investigation, purportedly based on performance, but this was a “preposterous explanation,” the suit says. Sankano “received above-average performance reviews each and every review cycle, including in the performance review she received at the time of her termination.”

The Black associate for whom Sankano did at least 80% of her work was not even consulted or informed about Sankano’s firing, according to the suit.

Bowsher told the ABA Journal in an email that he has “barely had a chance to review” Sankano’s suit after receiving it Wednesday morning.

“I’m still in shock from her allegations, still processing them,” he says. “Her complaint has so many falsehoods, so many blatant omissions, it’s truly unbelievable how someone can paint a picture to skew so far from reality, devoid of context and willfully blind to a host of facts which, if shown, would paint an entirely different picture.”

Michael Willemin, a lawyer for Sankano, responded to Bowsher’s statement in an email to the Journal.

“It is unfortunate but not surprising that Mr. Bowsher is incapable of introspection and an honest self-assessment of his behavior. Nothing was taken out of context. As alleged, multiple Black women at the firm have found him to be discriminatory. We included his entire email in the complaint—the reader can judge,” Willemin said.

The suit claims that Bowsher often “belittled” Sankano, even before he sent the email. He also gave Sankano a negative review, the only one that she received, the suit says. No action was taken to correct his behavior, according to the suit.

The email that led to Sankano’s complaint with HR had criticized Sankano for telling the administration department that it had mistakenly identified Bowsher as the “matter responsible attorney” on two deals. In reality, there was to be a 70/30 split between Bowsher and a senior associate. Sankano told the administration department that there was another “matter responsible attorney” and attached a clip mentioning the 70/30 split.

Bowsher’s email to Sankano said “anyone reading” her sentence would interpret it to mean that she wanted the administration department to make the other attorney 100% matter responsible.

“This is very basic, elementary communication,” Bowsher wrote. “This has nothing to do with training, or understanding of multifamily transactional law, this is daily required functioning. You expressed interest in receiving my input/feedback in real time as to your performance, so I am taking 20 minutes out of my morning right now to explain to you, in very clear objective detailed analysis, that when I see something like this, where it is so undeniably evident that you’ve made an obvious and surprising error, and you’re saying you still don’t see the error even after I’ve taken the time to point it out to you, and you’re still saying you’ve done nothing wrong … I really just don’t know what more I can say here. If you don’t even see the problem, I’m not sure how you’ll fix it, but it’s definitely something you need to fix, because if you had this same type of miscommunication with a client or borrower’s counsel rather than with our internal administrative team, I would have to drop everything and get on the phone immediately to do serious damage control, reassuring them that the deal is actually in capable hands. Bottom line: this is not something I would expect from a fourth-year associate.”

Sankano is a 2018 cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. After clerking for a state appeals court judge, she was hired at Pepper Hamilton in 2019. The firm became Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders as a result of a merger.

The suit describes Sankano as an “incredible asset” to the firm but said she was “set up to fail” after her hiring because her billable hours were “micromanaged.” Sankano was required to email her hours to her supervisor, rather than directly enter them into the system like others in the office. Sankano was the only Black attorney in the Pepper Hamilton D.C. office at the time.

The supervisor said Sankano’s hours didn’t matter because she charged a flat fee to clients. In reality, the suit says, the partner was making herself look more profitable by reducing Sankano’s hours. Sankano eventually transferred to another practice group.

Diane C. Iselin, director of communications at Troutman Pepper, provided this statement to the Journal: “Ms. Sankano’s employment was terminated for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons based solely on her performance. We will defend ourselves vigorously in this case.”

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Bomb threat to over 150 schools in Delhi-NCR; police probing terror angle

In a bomb scare of unprecedented scale, over 150 schools in Delhi-NCR received an identical threat e-mail on Wednesday claiming that explosives had been planted on their premises, triggering massive evacuations and searches as panic-stricken parents rushed to pick up their children. "Nothing objectionable" was found during searches by authorities which later declared it a hoax.

Officials said the initial probe suspected a "deeper conspiracy" by a terror group during the Lok Sabha elections, adding that there is suspicion that the threat mail was sent by an ISIS module.

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ALSO READ: Don't believe in false messages on bomb threat received by schools: Police

The Delhi Police's anti-terror unit special cell has traced the domain of e-mails to Russia and it is suspected to have been formed with the help of the dark web -- an encrypted online content that allows individuals to hide their identity and location from others.

The National Investigation Agency may also take up the probe since the role of a terror group is suspected and the "conspiracy" angle may lead to a pan-India investigation, an official said.

Law enforcement authorities went into a tizzy as police and fire services started receiving a flurry of calls from schools at 6 am on Wednesday.

Delhi Public School (Mathura Road), DPS (Saket), Sanskriti School, Amity School (Saket), DAV (Model Town), DPS (Dwarka) and St. Mary School (Mayur Vihar) were among the education institutions that received the threat email on Wednesday.

A senior Noida Police official told PTI that the e-mail threat was received in seven schools in the satellite city.

It was only an hour or so since parents had dropped off their children when they received messages from the school authorities informing them about an e-mail threatening the safety and security of the students.

Parents rushed to pick up their children and school authorities scampered to bring the students to safety, moving them outside the buildings, while police personnel with sniffer dogs sanitised the premises.

With over 150 schools receiving the bomb threat via e-mail, Delhi Police faced a daunting task as it rushed its dog and bomb squads from one school to another and there was no time to be wasted. The city police went into an overdrive and the situation lasted till evening.

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32-Year-Old Man Dies After Fainting At Varanasi Gym

A 32-year-old man died after apparently experiencing a severe headache at a gym in Varanasi today. CCTV footage captured the distressing moments as the man sat with his head in his hands before falling to the ground.

People rushed to assist him, helping him sit up and providing water. HDeepak Gupta, a regular at the gym for the past ten years and an active participant in various fitness competitions, was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.e was seen shaking as others massaged his back and head.

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‘Poor Kharge ji…’: Amit Shah claims Congress will blame veteran for poll loss

Amit Shah warned that veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge would eventually be blamed for Congress’s Lok Sabha election loss.

In Short

Amit Shah accuses Congress chief Kharge of lying for Gandhis

Says Kharge will eventually be blamed for poll loss by Gandhi family

Defends BJP's work for poor, cites poverty alleviation, rations

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday advised Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge not to tell “lies” for the sake of the Gandhi family. He warned that eventually Mallikarjun Kharge would be “sacrificed” by the Gandhi family for the poll loss after results are declared on June 4.

Amit Shah hit out at the Congress chief following his attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Delhi Bomb Scare: Multiple Schools Receive Bomb Threat, Students Evacuated; Search Operation Underway

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Delhi Bomb Scare: Multiple Schools Receive Bomb Threat, Students Evacuated; Search Operation Underway

Delhi Bomb Scare: Multiple Schools Receive Bomb Threat, Students Evacuated; Search Operation Underway

At least eight schools in Delhi NCR including Sanskriti, Mother Mary's School, Amity and DPS have received bomb threats. Students have been evacuated and investigation is underway.

Updated: May 1, 2024 9:59 AM IST

By Ananya Srivastava 

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New Delhi: A bomb threat has been received by at least ten schools of Delhi NCR via email, namely, the Delhi Public School (DPS) in Dwarka, Mother Mary’s School Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School Noida, Sanskriti School, DPS Vasant Kunj, Amity School in Pushp Vihar, DPS RK Puram, DPS Mathura Road, Amity Saket and DAV School in South West Delhi today morning. Delhi Police, the Bomb Disposal Squad and fire-tenders have been rushed to the spots; a search is underway to check whether the news of a bomb in the school is true or not and the students have been evacuated. The Bomb Disposal Team (BDT) undertook a proper, thorough checking of the school to ensure complete safety of all the staff and students. Here’s what Delhi Police has to say about the Delhi Schools Bomb Threat…

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7 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh’s Abujmad in second major anti-Naxal op this month

Seven Maoists, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Abujmad area in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-affected Bastar region early on Tuesday. This is the second major encounter in Abujhmad where 29 Maoists were killed earlier this month.

According to officials, the encounter took place at around 6 am in Abujhmad on the inter-district border of Kanker and Narayanpur districts. A joint team of District Reserve Guards (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) left on an anti-Naxal operation when the encounter took place in the jungle near Tekmeta and Kakur villages, they added.

After the encounter, the forces launched a search operation and recovered the bodies of the seven Maoists. The forces said they also found an AK-47 assault rifle, weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

The security forces have stepped up their anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh since the BJP government came to power.

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Claims arise against Globe House Buyers,LLC and Michael Candelario

A Buckeye man with business ties to Globe is out on bail after his December 2019 arrest in Maricopa County. Michael Alexander Candelario, who bills himself as a real estate investor and the man behind Globe House Buyers, LLC, was featured in our article on home remodeling published in the January issue of Globe Miami Times. 

On Dec. 18, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force arrested Candelario in Phoenix.  The original warrant stems from Candelario’s failure to appear last year for a status hearing on his retrial for felony theft charges, said Det. Sam Hatley, with the Carson City (Nev.) Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division. The jury trial ended with a hung jury—11 to 1 in favor of conviction, Hatley said.

As the former owner of the Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, Candelario was arrested by CCSO deputies on a property theft-related warrant in 2016. The U.S. Marshals service states that Candelario advertised beer canning equipment for sale on a brewing industry website. The victim, who owned a brewery in British Columbia, Canada, made an agreement with Candelario to buy the equipment. Allegedly,while the victim paid more than $45,000, Candelario received the funds but never arranged for the equipment to be shipped to him.

A U.S. military veteran, the victim was allegedly forced to cash in his retirement to cover the losses. He filed a report with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia, which forwarded it to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrested Candelario without incident at his former brewing company, which closed in January 2016.

USMS also alleges that Candelario is involved with fraudulent activities across the nation, setting up fake companies taking money from hospitals in Virginia, Louisiana and California.

After his Phoenix arrest last month, Candelario appeared before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Judge Barbara L. Spencer.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Candelario was released on a $25,000 bond on Dec. 19, 2019, despite being the subject of a no-bail warrant out of Carson City, Nev.

After learning about Candelario’s release, Carson City District Attorney Jason Woodbury said, “We are working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s office to process a Governor’s Warrant from our jurisdiction so Mr. Candelario can be extradited back to our jurisdiction for trial.”

Asked if he was consulted prior to Candelario’s release, Woodbury said no, adding that at first he was “very concerned because the process in our jurisdiction is different.”

“In Carson City, a person will be held in jail for an out-of-state warrant until he or she waives extradition, is actually extradited or posts the bail required by the warrant,” Woodbury said. “I was worried that Mr. Candelario had been authorized to post a bond not authorized by our warrant and we would not see him again.”

Since then, however, Woodbury learned that Maricopa County’s process is different, “or at least it was in this case,” he said.

“He is allowed to surrender himself on the warrant in Nevada if he chooses,” Woodbury said. “Otherwise, he is required to appear before the Maricopa County Court every 30 days pending extradition.”

Candelario is scheduled for fugitive from justice hearings on Jan. 29, Feb. 12 and March 11, all on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. Spencer waived Candelario’s required presence at the Jan. 29 FFJ hearing.

Maricopa County contacted the Carson City Sheriff’s Office “fairly quickly after Candelario bailed out to let them know we’d have to go through the formal extradition process,” Woodbury said.

At this point, Woodbury’s office is proceeding with Candelario’s extradition, “which is exactly what we would be doing if he was still incarcerated and had not been allowed to post a bond,” he said.

“So, for our process, it makes no difference,” Woodbury added.

For his part, Candelario alleges that the USMS arrest was based on false and biased information provided by Hatley and Woodbury. He deferred further comment to his attorney, Paul Quade of Reno.

Quade said that he represented Candelario “related to the 2015 allegations of theft in Carson City,” agreeing to a phone interview on that case in the near future.

“I am advising him (Candelario) not to make any further statements regarding that case or the conduct of the prosecutors in Carson City given the circumstances,” he said.

In reponse to further questioning, Quade said that he would not comment on “any steps we may or may not take in the future related to the case in Carson City.”

“I can only tell you that the case is five years old, relates to a failed business venture; the alleged victim has already been reimbursed and the first trial resulted in a hung jury,” Quade said. “The allegations are extremely weak related to any ill intent on behalf of my client and I have not been party to such an unexplainable prosecution in my 25 plus years as a criminal defense attorney.”

On the subject of reimbursing the alleged victim, Woodbury said, “Among other lawsuits, Three Ranges Brewery—the victim in the criminal case—sued Mr. Candelario civilly. They were awarded a judgment of $82,073.13 (plus accruing interest) in May 2016.”

In April of 2017, Candelario paid Three Ranges $45,000 of the judgement, which was the original amount the brewery had paid Candelario “for the canner that was never delivered,” Woodbury said.

Quade went onto say that the fugitive warrant is “primarily related to my retirement from criminal litigation and the transfer of counsel which did not work out for Mr. Candelario.”

” At this point, I decided to return to this unfinished business because I firmly believe Mr. Candelario is getting railroaded in Carson City,” he said. “We will be aggressively defending this matter, hopefully to a successful conclusion at the next trial.”

Meanwhile, back in Globe, Candelario is the defendant in four civil cases currently pending in Globe Regional Justice Court.

One of the plaintiffs is Wayne Williams, a former employee of Globe House Buyers who resigned on Sept. 9, 2019, and allegedly has yet to receive his last two weeks of pay. The plaintiff filed the complaint 11 days later, stating that Globe House Buyers owed him $1,731.

Williams has since filed a new complaint seeking $7,600, which includes his meals, mileage and time spent trying to collect the payment due him.

Candelario has filed a response which refutes Williams’ claims saying “The plaintiff has misled this court on his damages and claim.”

With 30 years in the remodeling business, Williams said he responded after Candelario advertised on Craigslist, seeking a site foreman for his Globe-area projects. After signing a contract with Candelario, Williams said he moved from Florence to Globe in June to take the position.

“From day one, payment was never made on time,” he said.

Williams and Candelario are scheduled to have their day in court at 10 a.m Monday, March 9.

Candelario said that he is not the owner of Globe House Buyers, but rather its general manager, giving instead the name of his “boss” as Anthony Albano of Massachusetts. However, according to articles of organization filed July 16, 2019 with the Arizona Corporation Commission, Candelario is listed as the principal member and organizer of Globe House Buyers, LLC. Neither Albano’s name, nor that of anyone other than Candelario, is listed on the articles of organization for Globe House Buyers, LLC.

Another plaintiff, who also claimed to be a subcontractor, filed a complaint on Sept. 23, 2019. He claimed that while he completed his work on a house in the 400 block of East Cedar Street in Globe, Candelario and Globe House Buyers did not pay him. The plaintiff asked for $900.

At the plaintiff’s request, the case was dismissed Dec. 24, 2019 without prejudice, meaning that the matter could be revisited in court. On Dec. 16, 2019, the same plaintiff filed a new complaint against Candelario, this time asking for a total of $2,000. In addition to the $900 already owed him for labor, the plaintiff, who lives in Apache Junction, said he was suing for “lost time” as well as “wear and tear” on his vehicle, having driven back and forth to Globe “multiple times” seeking payment.

“I have given plenty of time. The defendant has not returned calls; only text excuses,” the plaintiff stated in his complaint.

A fourth case was filed Sept. 30, 2019 by LeAllen Decker who said that Candelario agreed to pay him $600 for landscaping a yard on Cedar Street in Globe. He claimed that after Candelario gave him the deadline of 4 p.m. Aug. 26, the landscaper completed it a half hour early.

“After repeated attempts to collect my money, Michael no-showed every time,” Decker said in his complaint. “I feel I have no other choice than to go to small claims court.” He is asking for $625.

When contacted, Candelario claimed to have no knowledge of Decker. However, we followed up with Decker, who showed us more than two dozen text messages between Candelario and himself in which he tried to collect payment. The texts showed a string of excuses Candelario gave Decker over a two week period as follows: Aug. 27, “I’ll be there [Globe] in a couple of hours. I can leave it [the check] at the nursery;” Aug. 29: “I’ll have it there 100% tomorrow. I haven’t been back up to Globe. I apologize;” Aug. 30: “I’m going to leave a check at the house;” Sept 4: “I’m really sorry. Very unusual. Let me get a plan ASAP and get back to you. I know someone going to Globe and I’ll try to coordinate with them.” Then, six days later it was, “In Buckeye, I’ll be there tomorrow. I can overnight a check if you prefer and send tracking.”

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Hong Kong concert organiser accused of being serial defaulter by music groups and musicians

Italian Andrea Dal Cin admits he owes money to a Hong Kong orchestra and vocal group – who have reported him to police – and to a pianist based in the city; despite his debts he has continued to put on events backed by consulates

Musicians and music groups have accused a Hong Kong impresario of being a serial defaulter. One group, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK), says his actions forced it to postpone two concerts this spring.

Asked by the Post about their allegations, the impresario, Andrea Bettinelli Dal Cin, said some of the parties involved in events he organised should have known of the “financial risks” of participating in them. He promised to resolve outstanding claims “soon”.

Leanne Nicholls, founder and artistic director of the 19-year-old orchestra, said it had not been paid for two 2016 concerts at St John’s Cathedral in Hong Kong organised by Dal Cin’s company, Solomusica.

“We are owed hundreds of thousands of [Hong Kong] dollars,” she said. “We spent nearly two years trying to get hold of the money but to no avail. And so it was with great reluctance that we called off two of our concerts in March and April. We simply did not have enough resources.”

The two concerts, one featuring French pianist Philippe Entremont and the other Russian violinist Kirill Troussov, have now been rescheduled.

Dal Cin is an Italian-born Hong Kong resident who quit a job in manufacturing in 2015 to set up Solomusica, a company that organises concerts and other musical events.

He sang in the amateur choruses of Opera Hong Kong and the Opera Society of Hong Kong, but had no experience in presenting concerts.

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Missing teenager’s body found in Bulandshahr, Noida SHO shunted out for negligence in duty

Following the death of a 15-year-old boy, whose body was recovered from Bulandshahr on Sunday after his abduction on May 1, Noida Police have removed the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Beta-2 police station in Greater Noida for negligence in duty. Family members of the boy have alleged that police inaction led to the death of their child.

Officials said that the SHO has been sent to the Police Lines after the complaint, adding departmental enquiry has been ordered in the case.

“We have questioned more than 25 people but have not found anything conclusive. There was no demand for ransom. Prima facie it seems that there was some personal enmity,” said Sushil Kumar Ganga Prasad, ACP-1, Greater Noida.

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Fecal contamination found in 8 of 15 water samples collected from high-rise in Ghaziabad

Following complaints of diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and fever by scores of residents last week, the UP health department has found fecal contamination in eight water samples out of 15 collected from Saya Gold Avenue society in Indirapuram.

Officials from the Ghaziabad office of the health department said the samples were taken from underground and overhead tanks, adding a total of 762 persons had diarrhoea-like symptoms while 17 people were admitted in the hospital.

Officials, meanwhile, said it was not clear how the water got contaminated.

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AIIMS-Delhi nursing student kills self in hostel room; suicide note recovered

NEW DELHI: A 21-year-old woman reportedly died by suicide in her hostel room at AIIMS in New Delhi on Tuesday. The police said that a suicide note was found. The police reported that a member of the hostel staff discovered the woman hanging from the ceiling fan in her room at 11.30 am and informed the authorities. Upon investigation, the police found a suicide note.

In the note, she mentioned that she was feeling depressed due to her nursing studies and preparations for the Bihar Public Service Commission exam. The woman was a student in her second year of BSc. Her family, who resides in Bihar, were notified about their daughter. They mentioned that further investigation is currently in progress.

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Hailed as hero for helping rape victim last year, ashram teacher booked for sexual abuse of minor boys in Madhya Pradesh

In September 2023, CCTV footage emerged of the minor girl, bleeding and partially clothed, after she was raped by an autorickshaw driver. The footage showed no one coming to her aid even as she walked around the area for an hour, with one resident even shooing her away.

In September last year, a teacher at an Ujjain ashram “came to the aid” of a minor rape victim who was going door to door seeking help. He has now been arrested along with a caretaker for allegedly sexually abusing at least three minor boys at their ashram.

Police registered three FIRs under relevant provisions of the IPC as well as under multiple sections of the POCSO Act against the 21-year-old teacher, Rahul Sharma, and ashram caretaker Ajay Thakur. Both have been sent to judicial custody, police said, adding that there are many more victims who haven’t filed a complaint yet.

Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma told The Indian Express: “So far three children have come forward and made the allegations. We have arrested two persons in this case.”

In September 2023, CCTV footage emerged of the minor girl, bleeding and partially clothed, after she was raped by an autorickshaw driver. The footage showed no one coming to her aid even as she walked around the area for an hour, with one resident even shooing her away.

Sharma had said he helped the girl after he spotted her outside the ashram. At the time, he had told The Indian Express: “This is a holy town, people here are supposed to be helpful, but no one helped her… there was no humanity.”

The police have ruled out any connection with the Ujjain rape case for now. “We sent through 200 CCTV videos and his role has so far been ruled out,” said a senior police officer. According to police, children from poor families were sent to be trained as pandits in this ashram, affiliated to the state Sanskrit board.

Around 10 days ago, a minor boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Thakur complained to his mother when he returned home. “The parents of the child came to the ashram. Then the ashram worker Thakur was sacked. Later, many more parents visited the ashram and levelled allegations,” said a senior officer.

The ashram authorities contacted police after several parents made allegations against Sharma and had a confrontation with the ashram official. An ashram official, Gajanand, said: “We called the police to help us but they arrested our staff. The allegations are false.”

However, the officer said: “When we arrived, we found that the ashram officials were the suspects. There are many more victims in this case and we tried to convince them to file a case. Policemen dressed in civil clothes also tried speaking to the children, but they refused as they were scared,” the officer said.