From Reception to All Members on April 23, 2019 at 8:03 am
RE: Lost Property
Dear all—thank you for joining us with your families for the annual Reuben Easter Egg Hunt! The children had a delightful time. A Barbie and her outfit were left behind—if it is your little one’s, please collect it from reception.
From Jeremy Benson to All Members on April 23, 2019 at 8:06 am
RE: RE: Lost Property
Who undressed Barbie?! #MeToo
Jeremy Benson
PARTNER
“I’m proud of you, dude,” Adele said, nudging my shoulder with hers. We sat on a bench outside Reuben’s offices, with flat whites I’d picked up, both staring into the trickling water feature. I didn’t tell Adele that my hand was throbbing; I’d thought I saw Josh in the coffee shop. I flinched with such a start that the stupid coffee spurted out of the stupid hole, sizzling my hand.
“It’s not like I have a choice to be back here,” I said. “My mum will likely disown me if I quit.”
I felt a sharp twist of sorrow.
“Maybe she’s right—it would be such a sad waste for you to leave law over this.”
I threw back the last of my coffee and stood up. “C’mon, let’s do this.”
Outside our office were the secretary bays. Something was off. Sitting at my secretary’s desk was an unfamiliar figure, though I didn’t see their face.
“Where’s Claire?” I asked Adele.
“Shhhh,” she scolded before closing the door.
“What?”
“The other secretaries don’t know yet.”
“Know what?”
“Claire was let go last week.” Adele pulled her lips back to show her gritted teeth.
“Why?”
“She was adding her own food when sorting out Will’s dinner deliveries, and then expensing the whole order to the client. She’s been doing it for years. They said it amounts to fraud and fired her on the spot.”
I stared at my desk. “That’s a shame. I hope she’s okay.”
Like a rusty bicycle, I slowly pedaled into my usual routine. By noon, it felt like I had never been away. I was back operating at peak efficiency, juggling five action points, preparing for meetings, replying to emails, and reading into new cases. On Mondays there was a taco truck outside our office. We loaded up with two Styrofoam boxes each, one full of birria beef tacos, and the other with crispy fries. Despite my parents’ coaxing, I’d barely eaten more than an apple and a yoghurt pot a day over the past weeks. My appetite came hurtling back with a vengeance as I picked up a taco and dipped it in sour cream. I had stuffed three cheesy loaded fries in my mouth when my computer pinged.
From Julie Nicholls to Jade Kaya on April 23, 2019 at 1:06 pm
RE: Case #1201
Jade,
I hope you have been keeping well and that you enjoyed your period of leave. We did not want to disturb your time off, but I am writing to let you know that we have an update for you. Are you available today to meet to discuss?
Kind regards,
Julie
“Jade, hello! How are you?” Julie singsonged as she bustled in. She was in a bland beige pantsuit with a giant amber pendant swinging from her neck that had the potential to knock me out.
“Been better,” I said, my stomach turning like a cement mixer.
“So.” She slid in her ergonomic chair as if it were lined with jelly. “How’ve you been getting on?”
“You said you had updates on the investigation?” I was over the pleasantries. My expectations for this meeting were on the floor, jaded as I was. “I’d rather discuss that first.”
“As you wish.” She ruffled sheets of paper on her desk and lowered her glasses from her head. “Reuben takes sexual assault very seriously, and”—she looked down again—“we maintain a zero-tolerance policy on any behavior that is sexually inappropriate.” Jesus. Is she reading a script? “We will continue to take actionable steps to ensure that our workplace is one in which women feel comfortable and safe.” Julie looked up at me, and I wondered if I should give her a gold star for her recital.
“Okay…?” I prompted.
“I, on behalf of Reuben, would like to apologize to you for the experiences you’ve reported. The Firm is very sorry that you feel it was not a protective environment.” Julie nodded in a confirmatory way.
“Is that it?”
“Like I said, we strive to take steps every day to combat the issue of sexual assault and that’s why Reuben would like to offer our support to you.”
She slid a greige paper file across the table, as if we were in an espionage film.
“What’s this?”
“The Firm is extremely grateful for your continued hard work in the face of such challenging times. As such, we would like to show our appreciation.”
She nodded her head toward the file, which I flipped open.
AS BETWEEN:
1. JADE KAYA
2. REUBEN, FLEISHER & WISHALL
LLP (THE “FIRM”)
SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
I closed the file.
Of course.
These past months, they were never investigating. They were stalling while building a steel cage to lead me into.
I never even made a claim. How can you settle a claim that was never made?
“How much?” I asked, my voice low with shame.
“Page six.” Julie nodded.
I opened the file again. A slim sheath to the eye, but a muzzle in practice. My breath caught in my chest when I saw the figure. Or figures, rather.
“It will be taxed, as all bonuses are,” Julie added. What did this mean? Were they gearing up to fire me and this is meant to cover lost earnings?
“Of course,” I murmured. I flicked through the pages. The words drifted and hovered in my short distance.
Without admission of liability by any Party, the Parties have agreed the below terms for the full and final settlement of any current, pending, or future claims against the Firm.
Ms. Kaya, with effect from the date of this Agreement, hereby definitively and irrevocably waives the right to bring proceedings, actions, claims, or allegations of any nature against the Firm, whether directly or through a third party.
Ms. Kaya hereby withdraws any complaint as against the Firm.
The terms of this Agreement, its existence and its content, as well as the discussions and meetings that led to the conclusion of the Agreement and any documents related to it, are confidential and shall not be disclosed to any third party.
It is agreed that this Agreement is not an admission whatsoever of any fault by the Firm.
“Brilliant! If I could get you to sign below—”
I performatively “read” the contract to buy myself time with Julie. To consider what this meant. Case number 1201. Were there really one thousand two hundred other people, living double lives, smothering their truth? If I assumed the same amount was paid out to some, if not all, of my predecessors, that would be millions spent. With that money, they could have hired a designated women’s representative for every office worldwide. They could have hired ten for every office. Someone whose role it was to solely provide support and counseling to the workforce Reuben relied on daily. With that money, they could have invested in a third-party consultant to carry out an overhaul of Reuben’s policies and practices. They could have rolled out training for every employee on acceptable behavior in the office. They could have promulgated a plethora of mental health resources designed to prioritize the welfare of employees, not just their capacity to churn out hours. They could have set up a complete network of CCTV and surveillance for every corner of the office. They could have brought in experts designed to find solutions for this viral epidemic of men thinking women existed for their taking.
They could have.
They could have.
They could have.
But they hadn’t.
“Julie?” I cleared my throat. “This isn’t what I envisaged when meeting with you today.”
“Jade, I can assure you that we have taken every possible route into consideration.” Julie became animated again. “We will also be rolling out new policies on Firm-sponsored events.”
“Right?” I was a little lost.
“It’ll be a clampdown on the culture of drinking at Firm events, as alcohol clearly comes with its”—Julie raised her hand toward me—“specific dangers.”
I laughed callously. The specific dangers of alcohol. Correlation mistaken for causation. As inevitable as damaged lungs are to a chain-smoker. Josh simply couldn’t help himself, it was the alcohol!
“What’s happened to Josh?” I abruptly asked.
“Ah, yes.” Julie brought both hands together and intertwined her fingers. She looked like an evil villain watching her plan for world domination unfold. “We’ve thought long and hard about the appropriate sanction for Mr. Parsons, while also considering that we have no evidence to verify or corroborate the allegations against him.” She was back to looking at her crib sheet. “So, Mr. Parsons will be removed, with immediate effect—” finally, I held my breath, some vindication “—from the London office.”
“What does that mean?”
“He will be transferred to the New York office.”
I scoffed. “What, where the salary is significantly higher than ours in the UK?”
“I’m afraid I can’t discuss remuneration with you. But additionally, he is required to attend a minimum of five counseling sessions.”
Julie was self-congratulatory as she leaned back in her chair. Is that all my pain amounted to? A token action that would barely inconvenience him. No, benefit him. He would continue earning an eye-watering amount and have transatlantic experience to bolster his CV.
“Is that all?” My voice fractured as I spoke. “A slap on the wrist? And a nice serviced apartment on West 57th?”
“I think you’re forgetting the reputational hit Mr. Parsons has also suffered, Ms. Kaya.”
“So? Why are you acting like I’ve inflicted that on him?”
“Jade, please, we really don’t want to get into the blame game.”
“Why not? He is to blame!”
Julie all but rolled her eyes. As if I were a stupid little girl.
“I’m afraid that’s not necessarily the conclusion we have come to, but that’s not relevant now.”
“I don’t care what conclusion you have come to—” My voice sounded whiny. “This isn’t right!”
Julie pulled an it-is-what-it-is face.
“Claire!” I exclaimed.
“Sorry?” Julie said. “I don’t understand.”
“Claire Tooley was fired last week.”
“I’m sorry, I really can’t go into details—”
“She was fired for fixing expense reports.” I held my palms up. “Don’t get me wrong, she shouldn’t have done that, and I understand why she was let go. But are you seriously telling me that sneaking a meal deal onto an expense sheet is a greater offense than raping someone?”
“I’m sorry, Jade, I really don’t understand how the two situations are comparable.” Julie furrowed her brow.
“Well, Claire doesn’t work here anymore, and Josh still has his job. That’s how they’re comparable.”
Julie was silent. I’d hit a brick wall.
“I came to you for help,” I pleaded. “I was abused by someone senior in the company and I didn’t know who to turn to. You”—I jabbed my finger toward her—“you told me not to take it to the police! I thought you would help me!”
Julie took a deep breath, and, for a moment, I thought she might have something insightful to say.
“We’d love to help you, but you have to let us. The offer’s on the table, Jade. Please do think about it carefully.”