A paralegal has taken legal action against her former employer, alleging serious misconduct in the workplace. Cherilynn Ford filed a complaint on November 27, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Matthew Kaplan and his firm, Matthew Kaplan & Associates, LLC. Ford's lawsuit accuses Kaplan of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment, and engaging in unlawful compensation practices.
Ford claims that during her employment from October 2020 to July 3, 2024, she was subjected to inappropriate conduct by Kaplan, who is both an attorney and her supervisor. According to the complaint, Kaplan's behavior included "sexually charged conduct and comments" that were directed at Ford and others in the office. Ford alleges these actions violated the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). The complaint also states that after she raised concerns about this behavior along with issues regarding her compensation, she faced retaliation when Kaplan forced her out of her job under false pretenses of resignation.
In addition to allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation under IHRA, Ford accuses Kaplan and his firm of violating multiple labor laws. She asserts that she was misclassified as a 1099 employee instead of a W-2 employee at various times during her tenure. This misclassification allegedly led to improper compensation practices where she was only paid for billable hours to clients but not for other essential tasks such as administrative duties or covering for colleagues. Despite routinely working between 60 to 65 hours per week, Ford claims she never received overtime pay as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Illinois Minimum Wage Law (IMWL).
Ford seeks various forms of relief from the court including actual damages under IHRA, back pay for lost wages and benefits, liquidated damages under FLSA provisions, statutory damages under FLSA, IMWL, and IWPCA (Illinois Wage Payment Collection Act), compensatory and punitive damages, prejudgment interest, reinstatement to her position if possible, and coverage of attorney’s fees along with other costs associated with bringing this action.
The case highlights significant allegations of workplace misconduct and improper labor practices within a legal firm setting. It underscores the challenges employees may face when confronting alleged abuses by those in positions of power.
The attorneys representing Cherilynn Ford are Dennis R. Favaro and Patrick J. Gorman from Favaro & Gorman Ltd., while Matthew Kaplan is named as both an individual defendant and through his firm Matthew Kaplan & Associates LLC. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-12298.