Partners James Valentino and Ramsey Hinkle recently negotiated a significant settlement in an employment discrimination matter in New York City.

The attorneys represented a married couple who were terminated as part of a reduction in force shortly before they were prepared to take parental leave. Arguing that the company’s inclusion of the married couple in the layoffs was discriminatory, Hinkle and Valentino were able to secure a pre-litigation settlement approximately three times higher than the initial offer.

New York has stringent laws which protect individuals who are married, pregnant, and wish to take parental leave.