K & S has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of discrimination/civil rights cases.  For example, the firm is currently lead counsel in an employment discrimination class action brought on behalf of over 2000 Hispanic employees of the FDIC.  K & S is also co-counsel with Williams & Connolly, LLP in a class action case against the U.S. Department of Justice seeking overtime pay for some 9000 DOJ attorneys.  The firm is currently working with Susman Godfrey, LLP of Houston, Texas on behalf of plaintiffs in a multi-state antitrust class action matter against Visa and MasterCard pending in D.C. Superior Court. 

        Other recent matters have included a sexual harassment claim brought by an OB/GYN physician against her employer, a prominent university hospital; an age discrimination claim filed against a major weapons manufacturer; and race discrimination actions against a major D.C. bank and a Fortune 500 office supply store; and representation of a former Bureau Chief for a major news organization.  Given its track record on the plaintiff side, K & S has been hired by corporations to defend against discrimination claims and to train personnel in administering harassment policies.  K & S also uses its expertise in employment law to negotiate employment agreements and severance packages for high-level corporate executives.

        K & S often pursues novel discrimination claims in seeking redress for its clients.  For example, K & S recently sued a major insurance company on behalf of a young man who was denied coverage of emergency surgery for his morbid obesity.  The suit, alleging discrimination on the basis of personal appearance under the D.C. Human Rights Act, is currently pending in D.C. Superior Court.  In an important ruling, the Court established, for the first time in any reported case, that the morbidly obese may sue for discrimination when a healthcare insurance provider refuses to cover the costs of surgical treatment for obesity – a significant victory for those affected by this medical condition.  

International Matters

        K & S has represented an array of diplomats and foreign nationals in local and overseas matters.  The firm defended a Georgian diplomat in a civil action in federal court and secured the dismissal of the case on immunity grounds.  The firm also currently represents the former Ambassador from Brazil to the United States in a civil matter and has represented a prominent Argentine political figure before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.  The firm recently settled a Warsaw Convention action brought on behalf of a young boy who was sexually assaulted on an international flight by an intoxicated passenger, and worked with foreign police authorities in securing the arrest of the perpetrator.  K & S routinely collaborates with overseas law firms, particularly in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia.