Our cases are regularly covered in the media. When seeking expertise from a New York employment attorney, journalists also call on Kevin Mintzer to comment on matters involving employment law, discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, among other topics. Our recent media appearances include the following:
Kevin Mintzer speaks to the New York Daily News about his representation of one of Harvey Weinstein’s victims. “Unlike all of the other civil claims against Weinstein that have been forced into an unfair bankruptcy process, our client has the opportunity to seek justice in court against Weinstein as well as his many corporate enablers, including Disney and Miramax,” Mintzer said.
NBC News asks us to explain the significance of the New York State Attorney General’s report in any future criminal case against Andrew Cuomo. “I don’t believe a criminal prosecution can rely on the report. The prosecutor has a burden of proving their case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kevin Mintzer, a New York attorney who has represented women in sexual harassment cases, said. “A prosecutor can’t go in and wave the investigators’ case and say, ‘Case closed.’ That’s not how it works.”
The New York Times asks Kevin Mintzer about the possibility that Andrew Cuomo could face criminal charges as well as civil liability for sexual harassment. “It’s a fact that workplace touching and groping is not usually criminally prosecuted,” Mr. Mintzer said. “Whether or not that’s the way it should be is a separate issue.”
The New York Daily News asks Kevin Mintzer, “a Manhattan attorney who has represented several women in high-profile sexual misconduct cases,” to comment about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s latest sexual harassment defense. Mintzer explained that Cuomo’s comments have “nothing to do with the law. It has to do with political communications and spin and, honestly, it’s deception. . . . Sexual harassment is not defined as whether or not the perpetrator intended to make someone uncomfortable.”
In light of a court decision that a former contestant on the The Apprentice may proceed with her defamation suit against the former president, Kevin Mintzer speaks to the New York Times about the likelihood that he will have to answer questions under oath concerning the many accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
Speaking to The New Yorker, Kevin Mintzer analyzes whether Governor Cuomo or his staff engaged in unlawful retaliation against one of the governor’s accusers. Mr. Mintzer explains that releasing an accuser’s confidential personnel file, if true, was a “private use of government property . . . all for the personal use of defending Cuomo against allegations that are harmful to him. There is no legit way to characterize that. It’s just an abuse of power.”
With New York Governor Andrew Cuomo under investigation by the New York State Attorney General for sexual harassment, the New York Times asks Kevin Mintzer to describe how the investigation is likely to proceed. “Before they question the governor — an event of obvious significance — they will be well prepared with what the documents and other people have said,” Mr. Mintzer explained. “This is a matter of immense public interest and people want to get to the bottom of it [quickly]. I’m sure that will be the mandate from the attorney general.”
People Magazine reports on the settlement of MTV star Angelina Pivarnick’s sexual harassment suit against the New York City Fire Department arising from Ms. Pivarnick’s work as an Emergency Medical Technician. Mr. Mintzer, who represented Ms. Pivarnick with co-counsel, stated that the “settlement reflects the serious abuse that Angelina experienced while working for EMS. The City should redouble its efforts to protect the women in its workforce from sexual harassment.”
NBC News reports on a federal judge rejecting a proposed class action settlement related to Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual abuse. Kevin Mintzer and co-counsel represented 6 accusers of Weinstein who objected to the settlement as unfair and inadequate. Mr. Mintzer stated, “the settlement terms and conditions were unfair and should never be imposed on sexual assault survivors.”
Kevin Mintzer represents Kaja Sokola, a clinical psychologist and former fashion model, in a newly-filed action alleging that she was sexually abused by Harvey Weinstein when she was 16 years old. The case, which also alleges negligence against Weinstein’s former employer, Miramax Studios and Disney, is the first and only action to be brought against Weinstein under New York’s newly-passed Child Victims Act.
