Top Biglaw Firm Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Former Associate After She Made Sexual Assault Allegations - 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."

"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."

"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";"

Baker McKenzie filed a defamation lawsuit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against former tax associate Brooke Radford for making more than 80 social-media and Reddit allegations that a partner sexually assaulted her and that the firm covered it up. Radford alleged Maurice Bellan assaulted her and that she was terminated after rejecting his advances. The firm alleges separate grounds for termination: multiple unauthorized personal charges on a firm-issued credit card, other policy violations, and refusal to cooperate with an internal investigation. The complaint recounts accusatory and threatening messages Radford sent to a Baker tax associates group chat.

Read at Above the Law