Biglaw Partner Goes Public In Lawsuit Over Alleged Rape
She says the Biglaw firm has been supportive of her as she deals with the aftermath of the assault.
Back in February we told you about the Biglaw partner suing a Houston, TX, restaurant over an alleged sexual assault. At that time, the lawsuit was filed anonymously to protect the plaintiff’s privacy, but now she has gone public. Jessica Crutcher, a Mayer Brown partner in the litigation department, has identified herself as the plaintiff in the case and the victim of the alleged rape.
The alleged assault happened in 2015 when Crutcher says a Brennan’s of Houston bartender, Sean Kerrigan, spiked her drink, took advantage of her incapacitation, and raped her with aid of a manager of the restaurant. Crutcher pressed charges against Kerrigan, and in July 2018, he was indicted for felony aggravated sexual assault. Kerrigan died in November 2018, and the charges were subsequently dismissed. Crutcher filed the lawsuit against Brennan’s alleging the restaurant is responsible for the assault and breached its duty of care in failing to properly supervise its employees and was negligent.
As reported by Law.com, Crutcher opened up about her reasons for identifying herself to the public, saying she has “nothing to hide” and she wanted to be able to stand up for herself:
“I’ve done a lot of pro bono work over the years where I have seen my clients, survivors of horrible violence, very bravely stand up for themselves. I think I should be able to do the same thing here,” Crutcher said, a few days after she filed the third amended petition that identified her.
For their part, Mayer Brown has been supportive in a statement about Crutcher:
“We appreciate how incredibly difficult and challenging this experience has been, and continues to be, for Jessica. As our partner and colleague, she has our complete support in her recovery.”
In response to the lawsuit, Brennan’s denied the restaurant is responsible for the alleged actions of their employees. (A former manager of the restaurant was also named as a defendant in an amended complaint; he denies the allegations in the complaint.) Brennan’s offered the below statement in response to the amended complaint:
“While Brennan’s condemns what Ms. Crutcher claims happened to her in the strongest terms, we strenuously dispute any allegation that our family business is somehow responsible for the damages she claims. We were supportive of her at the time of the incident and we cooperated with the criminal investigation she instigated more than two years later,” the statement said.
The lawsuit is seeking $20 million in damages. According to the complaint, Crutcher has been on leave from Mayer Brown since last August due to the stress and PTSD caused by the sexual assault. Crutcher indicated it is her goal to return to work, saying, “I want my life back.”
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).
