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Employees for Christ |
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December 19, 2004 in the US Northern District Court of Georgia, Marietta Goodman filed for an appeal in her case (01-CV-0000), which was dismissed June 2003 for lack of evidence. Until recently Goodman was unaware that Willie Gary, prominent Florida attorney, had withheld key evidence in her discrimination charge against Coca-Cola.
Goodman produced as part of her appeal a letter in which Shields McManus corresponds with Coca-Cola attorney’s Elizabeth Finn Johnson and Michael Johnston. “Mr. McManus acknowledges that the Coca-Cola provided discovery evidence in which several Caucasian females similarly situated as Ms. Goodman made substantially higher salaries. Mr. McManus further states that, “In light of this new evidence, and after consultation with my client [Goodman], we have to decided to voluntarily withdraw her claims for damages based on Discrimination in Compensation and Promotion (Amended Complaint paragraph 20-24 and 44, (1) and (2) only), and also Disparate Impact in Evaluation and promotion (Count 3), and Disparate Impact in Promotion in Hiring Policy (Count 12). Accordingly, I will prepare a stipulation of partial voluntary dismissal (with prejudice) to which you have advised you will agree. I expect to have this drafted and faxed to you by tomorrow.”
Gary and his firm represented 17 of the individuals that opted out of the reported $192.5 million class action settlement against Coca-Cola. |
![Text Box: September 3, 2003 in the US District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 21 women filed a multi-million dollar collective action lawsuit (03-CV-73350) against Willie E. Gary for legal malpractice. The complaint alleges, “After being retained by Rundell and Nolan P.C., DEFENDANTS/ATTORNEYS [Willie E. Gary and others] implemented a scheme designed to compel Company A [Ford Motor Corporation] and Company B [Visteon Automotive Systems & Visteon Corporation]” to pay a sum of $51.5 million for “Plaintiffs permanently dismiss[ing] their claims . . . without receiving any compensation.” This complaint resulted from individual gender discrimination complaints filed by Patricia Harsen and Lisa Battaglia (2000-05091-CK) and Eleanor Taylor (99-3178-CK) in the Macomb County Circuit Court, Mount Clemens, Michigan.
On October 9, 2003, 14 more women joined the Michigan complaint. All 35 women are represented in Michigan by the Jay Schwartz of Schwartz Law Firm and Lawrence Falzon of Wigod, Falzon, & Dicicco, P.C.
Mr. Gary is represented by Timothy D. Wittlinger and Reginald M. Turner, Jr. of Clark Hill, P.L.C. in the Michigan complaint. What is intriguing about this situation is that Clark Hill, P.L.C. has represented Ford Motor Corporation and the Ford Foundation dating back to their establishment in the 1900‘s. One could get the impression that Ford is funding Mr. Gary’s defense in an effort to cover up their role in committing fraud against these women.](image2915.gif)
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Partners in the Gary Firm |
