Sep. 13, 2012
Patricia Glaser
See more on Patricia GlaserGlaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP Los Angeles Litigation Specialty: securities, real estate, intellectual property, contractual
Prospective jurors' preconceptions about her client's ethnicity made it especially difficult to empanel a jury in a recent case, Glaser said.
"There is a tremendous amount of prejudice against Persians and Middle-Eastern men and women," she said. "There were preconceived notions that the jurors voiced, and clearly people who thought that they couldn't be fair minded. I've never had so many dismissed for cause."
Glaser represented Ben Soleimani, a Persian and principal of Mansour Fine Rugs in Los Angeles, against claims of pregnancy discrimination, wrongful termination and related claims brought by a former employee. Holcman v. Soleimani, SC110701 (L.A. Super Ct., filed Dec. 13, 2010)
The plaintiff was claiming damages of about $5 million, in addition to punitive damages and attorneys fees.
"Here you have a college-educated woman with whom many people could identify," Glaser said.
Her approach?
"You deal with it head on," she said. "My client is Persian and he speaks with a slight accent. He has a story to tell."
Earlier this year, after a 13-day trial, the jury unanimously found for the defense on all claims after deliberating for less than half a day.
When all is said and done, Glaser said that, in her experience, juries want to get it right and, she added, "In business-related cases they usually do. Is it perfect? No, but generally, they will do the right thing."
A prominent business trial lawyer, Glaser has a roster of clients that have ranged from such entertainment icons as Home Box Office Inc., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Sony Corp. of America and The Walt Disney Co., to Wynn Resorts Ltd., CBRE Group Inc., and Morgan Stanley, with a practice focused on often high-profile business and employment-related matters.
- PAT BRODERICK
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