Last week, mega Biglaw firm Baker McKenzie filed a lawsuit against a former associate in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The firm’s defamation lawsuit alleges the former tax associate, Brooke Radford, made repeated allegations on social media and Reddit — some 80+ of them — falsely accusing a partner of sexually assaulting her and accusing the firm of covering it up.
According to the complaint, available in full below, Radford said she was assaulted by Maurice Bellan (also a plaintiff in the lawsuit) and was terminated by the firm when she turned down the partner’s advances. However, the firm maintains they had a very different reason for her termination.
Baker terminated Ms. Radford’s employment during June 2025 because she: (1) made multiple unauthorized personal purchases on her Firm-issued credit card, including clothing at high-end clothing stores, first-class airplane tickets, and many personal food delivery and Lyft transportation charges; (2) violated other Firm policies; and (3) refused to cooperate with a Firm investigation into the unauthorized charges and other violations.
The complaint also documents “accusatory, threatening, and otherwise odd comments” Radford made in a group text chat of Baker tax associates.
During June and July 2025, both after Baker had informed Ms. Radford that it was terminating her employment and after her employment officially ended, Ms. Radford texted messages to a Baker associates’ group text chat that included, among other messages:
- Accusing her former colleagues of “oppression”;
- Accusing a former colleague of “mov[ing] [her] things during a meeting”;
- Singling out the same former colleague and asking whether she “would like to apologize for anything you’ve done to me”;
- Saying that she “wanted to air some things out”;
Radford also wrote to the group chat songs and albums about revenge, specifically “5 AM in Philly,” and the album “AI Youngboy 2.”
The complaint also details “threatening” text messages Radford sent to Bellan after she was terminated that included details on tragic news stories, a rap song about violent retribution, and one that said “The next person that contacts me on your behalf will be informed that you offered me $50,000 to have your grandchild then fired me because I chose not to. I suggest you call it quits before I let everyone know everything.”
Before the firm filed their lawsuit, Radford said she planned legal action, but she’s not commented on the lawsuit Baker McKenzie filed. The firm’s spokesperson said of the suit, “Ms. Radford’s public statements are false, defamatory and malicious.”
The firm is seeking injunctive relief and monetary damages.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
The post Top Biglaw Firm Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Former Associate After She Made Sexual Assault Allegations appeared first on Above the Law.
Last week, mega Biglaw firm Baker McKenzie filed a lawsuit against a former associate in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The firm’s defamation lawsuit alleges the former tax associate, Brooke Radford, made repeated allegations on social media and Reddit — some 80+ of them — falsely accusing a partner of sexually assaulting her and accusing the firm of covering it up.
According to the complaint, available in full below, Radford said she was assaulted by Maurice Bellan (also a plaintiff in the lawsuit) and was terminated by the firm when she turned down the partner’s advances. However, the firm maintains they had a very different reason for her termination.
Baker terminated Ms. Radford’s employment during June 2025 because she: (1) made multiple unauthorized personal purchases on her Firm-issued credit card, including clothing at high-end clothing stores, first-class airplane tickets, and many personal food delivery and Lyft transportation charges; (2) violated other Firm policies; and (3) refused to cooperate with a Firm investigation into the unauthorized charges and other violations.
The complaint also documents “accusatory, threatening, and otherwise odd comments” Radford made in a group text chat of Baker tax associates.
During June and July 2025, both after Baker had informed Ms. Radford that it was terminating her employment and after her employment officially ended, Ms. Radford texted messages to a Baker associates’ group text chat that included, among other messages:
- Accusing her former colleagues of “oppression”;
- Accusing a former colleague of “mov[ing] [her] things during a meeting”;
- Singling out the same former colleague and asking whether she “would like to apologize for anything you’ve done to me”;
- Saying that she “wanted to air some things out”;
Radford also wrote to the group chat songs and albums about revenge, specifically “5 AM in Philly,” and the album “AI Youngboy 2.”
The complaint also details “threatening” text messages Radford sent to Bellan after she was terminated that included details on tragic news stories, a rap song about violent retribution, and one that said “The next person that contacts me on your behalf will be informed that you offered me $50,000 to have your grandchild then fired me because I chose not to. I suggest you call it quits before I let everyone know everything.”
Before the firm filed their lawsuit, Radford said she planned legal action, but she’s not commented on the lawsuit Baker McKenzie filed. The firm’s spokesperson said of the suit, “Ms. Radford’s public statements are false, defamatory and malicious.”
The firm is seeking injunctive relief and monetary damages.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
