In new filings made in connection with former associate John Ray III’s bias suit against Ropes & Gray, the firm explains why barring Ray from entering its Boston headquarters and refusing to provide him with a promised recommendation letter were not acts of retaliation prompted by his decision to complain to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about how the firm had treated him.
The detailed defense is the latest turn in a nearly 2-year-old lawsuit in which Ray claims Ropes discriminated against him and treated him as a "token black associate" and a "diversity hire" despite a résumé that includes a federal clerkship and a Harvard Law School degree. The suit, brought in Boston federal district court against the firm and 13 partners, accuses the defendants of breach of contract; discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and unfair competition.
