California Appellate Court Allows Former Drinker Biddle Lawyer’s Suit to Continue

A former Drinker Biddle attorney’s lawsuit alleging fraud, negligence, and breach of contract, is allowed to continue.

The Case: Avetisyan v. Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

The Court: Cal. Ct. App., 2d Dist.

The Case No.: B294671

The Plaintiff: Avetisyan v. Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Former Drinker Biddle attorney, Ani Avetisyan, sued her former law firm in 2014. She filed suit shortly after being fired from the firm’s litigation department. According to Avetisyan, she started work at the Drinker Biddle firm in 2012 and regularly received performance reviews stating she needed to improve in three areas: legal research, analysis, and writing. The plaintiff alleges that the chair of the litigation department during her time at the company later said that the firm wanted her to succeed and stay at the firm, and would continue her employment as long as she could perform at the level of an average associate. She was also told the firm would give her plenty of notice if they were going to terminate her employment. Avetisyan alleges the firm fired her in December 2013.

The Defendant: Avetisyan v. Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

The defendant in the case is Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. The firm currently employs more than 1,300 attorneys, professionals and consultants, and operates in over 20 different locations throughout the United States, Shanghai, and London. The firm handles transactional, litigation, and regulatory cases for emerging startups, multinational corporations, etc.

Progression of the Case: Avetisyan v. Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

LA County Superior Court dismissed Avetisyan’s claims (breach of oral, written, and implied contract, promissory estoppel, breach of the implied covenant of good faith, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation). According to the trial court, the plaintiff failed to establish any misrepresentation made by Drinker Biddle, or any reliance on the alleged misrepresentations. However, according to the California Court of Appeal, Second District, the vague retention promise is not fatal to the plaintiff’s oral contract claim, and Avetisyan, former Drinker Biddle attorney and plaintiff in the case, can proceed with a lawsuit alleging the firm breached an oral contract they terminated her from her position in the firm’s litigation department.

If you have questions about how to respond to a breach of contract or if you’ve experienced other labor law violations, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.