{"id":135811,"date":"2025-10-24T12:12:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/24\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T12:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:12:43","slug":"biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/24\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/","title":{"rendered":"Biglaw Lawsuit Against Former Associate Is Actually Messy As Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last month,\u00a0Biglaw firm Baker McKenzie\u00a0filed a defamation lawsuit\u00a0against a former tax associate, Brooke Radford, alleging Radford made repeated allegations on social media and Reddit \u2014 some 100+ of them \u2014 falsely accusing a partner of sexually assaulting her and accusing the firm of covering it up. According to that complaint, 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\u2019s advances.<\/p>\n<p>The original complaint lists\u00a0the firm, Bellan, and five unnamed firm employees (the complaint alleged Radford made harassing and threatening comments to them as well) as plaintiffs. However, that complaint was rejected by the court, as the unnamed employees had not gotten permission to use pseudonyms.<\/p>\n<p>But earlier this month, the complaint was refiled \u2014 listing only the firm and Bellan as plaintiffs. And wow, it\u2019s messy AF.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberglaw.com\/public\/document\/BakerMcKenzieLLPetalvsBrookeRadfordDocketNo2025CAB006587DCSuperCt\/1?doc_id=X7G2BA4RAO39O5O5K19A4M2ED98\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">new complaint,<\/a> Radford had a relationship with\u00a0Bellan\u2019s son, Maurice \u201cReece\u201d Alexander Bellan. Reece ended the two-year relationship shortly before Radford was fired from the firm \u2014 Baker McKenzie alleges Radford was fired for misusing the firm credit card, among other issues \u2014 and, according to the complaint, that confluence of events led Radford to target Bellan Sr. with her false accusations. <\/p>\n<p>As the complaint states, \u201cDisappointed with both outcomes, Ms. Radford sought retribution from the common denominator \u2014 Mr. Bellan \u2014 by intentionally spreading lies about him to destroy his reputation and the reputation of his firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And this version of the complaint also maintains the allegations Radford made of sexual assault are \u201cunequivocally false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Bellan\u2019s relationship with Radford was strictly professional,\u201d according to the complaint. \u201cMr. Bellan never touched Ms. Radford or showed any romantic or inappropriate attention toward her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new complaint<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.com\/americanlawyer\/2025\/10\/02\/baker-mckenzie-claims-terminated-associate-had-relationship-with-office-leaders-son\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> also tracks<\/a> the change in allegations Radford made about Bellan Sr. as the \u201cfalse statements about Mr. Bellan changed dramatically between late July and mid-September 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In July, Radford was allegedly making an \u201coutrageous lie that he offered her $50,000\u201d to have his grandchild, and she claimed she was fired because she \u201cchose not to.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>By September, Radford \u201cdramatically changed her false narrative, from Mr. Bellan bribing her to have his grandchild to him assaulting her and other women and that Baker attempted to cover up his misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Radford has not commented on the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>A Baker McKenzie spokesperson said, \u201cWe are confident that our lawsuit will establish there is no merit to Ms. Radford\u2019s allegations. We\u2019ve attempted to pursue a dialogue to try to address her purported concerns, but she has not engaged with these efforts. The firm takes all allegations of harassment very seriously and is committed to providing a safe and inclusive working environment for all of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\">Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email <a href=\"mailto:kathryn@abovethelaw.com?subject=Your%20Column\" target='_blank\"' rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/10\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/%E2%80%9C\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1%22%E2%80%9D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/10\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1@mastodon.social.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/10\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Biglaw Lawsuit Against Former Associate Is Actually Messy As Hell<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-single__featured-image post-single__featured-image--medium alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1312667763-300x200.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Last month,\u00a0Biglaw firm Baker McKenzie\u00a0filed a defamation lawsuit\u00a0against a former tax associate, Brooke Radford, alleging Radford made repeated allegations on social media and Reddit \u2014 some 100+ of them \u2014 falsely accusing a partner of sexually assaulting her and accusing the firm of covering it up. According to that complaint, 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\u2019s advances.<\/p>\n<p>The original complaint lists\u00a0the firm, Bellan, and five unnamed firm employees (the complaint alleged Radford made harassing and threatening comments to them as well) as plaintiffs. However, that complaint was rejected by the court, as the unnamed employees had not gotten permission to use pseudonyms.<\/p>\n<p>But earlier this month, the complaint was refiled \u2014 listing only the firm and Bellan as plaintiffs. And wow, it\u2019s messy AF.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberglaw.com\/public\/document\/BakerMcKenzieLLPetalvsBrookeRadfordDocketNo2025CAB006587DCSuperCt\/1?doc_id=X7G2BA4RAO39O5O5K19A4M2ED98\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">new complaint,<\/a> Radford had a relationship with\u00a0Bellan\u2019s son, Maurice \u201cReece\u201d Alexander Bellan. Reece ended the two-year relationship shortly before Radford was fired from the firm \u2014 Baker McKenzie alleges Radford was fired for misusing the firm credit card, among other issues \u2014 and, according to the complaint, that confluence of events led Radford to target Bellan Sr. with her false accusations. <\/p>\n<p>As the complaint states, \u201cDisappointed with both outcomes, Ms. Radford sought retribution from the common denominator \u2014 Mr. Bellan \u2014 by intentionally spreading lies about him to destroy his reputation and the reputation of his firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And this version of the complaint also maintains the allegations Radford made of sexual assault are \u201cunequivocally false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Bellan\u2019s relationship with Radford was strictly professional,\u201d according to the complaint. \u201cMr. Bellan never touched Ms. Radford or showed any romantic or inappropriate attention toward her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new complaint<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.com\/americanlawyer\/2025\/10\/02\/baker-mckenzie-claims-terminated-associate-had-relationship-with-office-leaders-son\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> also tracks<\/a> the change in allegations Radford made about Bellan Sr. as the \u201cfalse statements about Mr. Bellan changed dramatically between late July and mid-September 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In July, Radford was allegedly making an \u201coutrageous lie that he offered her $50,000\u201d to have his grandchild, and she claimed she was fired because she \u201cchose not to.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>By September, Radford \u201cdramatically changed her false narrative, from Mr. Bellan bribing her to have his grandchild to him assaulting her and other women and that Baker attempted to cover up his misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Radford has not commented on the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>A Baker McKenzie spokesperson said, \u201cWe are confident that our lawsuit will establish there is no merit to Ms. Radford\u2019s allegations. We\u2019ve attempted to pursue a dialogue to try to address her purported concerns, but she has not engaged with these efforts. The firm takes all allegations of harassment very seriously and is committed to providing a safe and inclusive working environment for all of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><em><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-80083 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568.jpg?resize=174%2C160&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"160\" title=\"\">Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/1XC11QhFCWxWr4NQrk2sEA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Jabot podcast<\/a>, and co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/legaltalknetwork.com\/podcasts\/thinking-like-a-lawyer\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#5d363c29352f24331d3c3f322b38293538313c2a733e3230622e283f37383e29600432282f786f6d1e3231283033\" target=\"_blank&quot;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">her<\/a> with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/10\/biglaw-lawsuit-against-former-associate-is-actually-messy-as-hell\/%E2%80%9C\/\/twitter.com\/Kathryn1%22%E2%80%9D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@Kathryn1<\/a>\u00a0or Mastodon <a href=\"https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@Kathryn1%22%22\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@[email\u00a0protected].<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month,\u00a0Biglaw firm Baker McKenzie\u00a0filed a defamation lawsuit\u00a0against a former tax associate, Brooke Radford, alleging Radford made repeated allegations on social media and Reddit \u2014 some 100+ of them \u2014 falsely accusing a partner of sexually assaulting her and accusing the firm of covering it up. According to that complaint, Radford said she was assaulted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":135787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_5243-1-scaled-e1623338814705-620x568-scTXYN.jpg?fit=620%2C568&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}