NEW YORK, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, after a two week-long race and gender discrimination trial in Manhattan Federal Court before United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, a jury returned a $1.2 million dollar verdict in favor of Sydney Nurse, the current Controller of Manhattan-based Concepts in Staffing, Inc., the law firm Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP announced in a press release.

According to the release, the Plaintiff, Ms. Nurse, continues to work at the Company.

The article states that after two days of deliberation, the jury found that Ms. Nurse was subjected to hostile work environment harassment on the basis of her race and gender. The jury not only found the Company liable, but also found Arthur Abrams, the President and CEO of Concepts in Staffing, personally liable for the discrimination suffered by Ms. Nurse, Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP said. In addition to awarding Ms. Nurse damages for emotional distress, the jury also found both the Company and Mr. Abrams liable for punitive damages.

Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP states the evidence presented at trial included:

* Ms. Nurse being repeatedly called "Black B" in the workplace
* Ms. Nurse being repeatedly groped, including the CEO grabbing her breast
and pinning her against his desk while pressing his pelvic area against
her backside
* An employee rubbing paperwork on his pelvic area before handing it to
Ms. Nurse while seated at her desk and then pumping his pelvic area
within inches of her face
* Another employee unzipping his pants and telling Ms. Nurse to "kiss
this," while pointing to his pelvic area
* The CEO making racially discriminatory remarks, including statements
that he "did not want any blacks or Hispanics pictured on his company's
website" and that he wanted a newly hired employee of color to be seated
"in the back of the bus in the black and Hispanic section of the office"
* When told by employees that his comments and actions violated the law,
the CEO openly told his employees, "F*** the law. I am the law."


After the trial, Ms. Nurse stated, "I'm very happy that the jury believed in me and that I was able to achieve this important step to improve the working conditions for myself and all other women of color who continue to work at this company. I look forward to returning to work with my head held high after this difficult ordeal."

Ken Thompson, lead counsel for Ms. Nurse, and a partner at Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP, which has won a number of multi-million dollar jury verdicts in discrimination cases tried in the federal courts, declared that "this verdict shows that unchecked harassment and discrimination by a chief executive officer of a company will not go unpunished and that no CEO is above the law." Scott B. Gilly, co-counsel at trial, commented that "the jury verdict was well reasoned and thoughtful. The jury recognized from the evidence that we presented that the Company and Mr. Abrams engaged in the worst forms of racial and sexual harassment and that Ms. Nurse suffered severe emotional distress because of their actions." In addition, "it's important to remember that the verdict vindicates not only Sydney Nurse, but also all of the other women who put aside their fears, came forward and testified at trial," stated Kate Webber, another member of the trial team.

About Thompson Wigdor and Gilly: Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP http://twglawyers.com/ is a boutique litigation law firm, specializing in handling high-profile, complex litigation and government investigations, as well as counseling clients in a wide array of substantive legal areas, including employment law, criminal law, sports and entertainment law, labor relations, and civil rights. They can be reached at (212) 239-9292 or info@twglawyers.com.