A high-profile San Diego trial attorney has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a woman who accused him of offering "quid-pro-quo" sexual proposals.
While continuing to deny those allegations, John Gomez and Gomez Trial Attorneys have agreed to resolve the legal action, which was filed on behalf of Alexa Zanolli in October, 2014.
As part of the settlement, the Gomez law firm will make a financial donation to an unnamed charity that helps female victims of sexual harassment or abuse. Zanolli will select the charity, and the contribution will be in her name.
Zanolli, a female attorney who had applied for a job at the Gomez firm, claimed in her lawsuit that Gomez “refined and honed his techniques in carrying out his ‘quid-pro-quo’ sexual proposals…without explicitly proposing an exchange of employment… for sex.”
The lawsuit listed text messages that allegedly prove how Gomez tried to find out if Zanolli would “be willing to satisfy his sexual desires in exchange for a job…”
She claimed Gomez used his knowledge of the law to protect himself against lawsuits. Zanolli was not hired at the Gomez firm.
Gomez’s attorney Regina A. Petty released a statement to NBC 7 in November, saying “It is an injustice that John Gomez has been forced to defend himself against meritless claims.”
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“Ms. Zanolli was interested in following one of John’s trials,” the statement continued. “Only once was a text conversation anything other than professional.”
Another sexual harassment lawsuit, filed by Elizabeth Castelli, is still pending against Gomez and his firm. Castelli worked as a paralegal at the Gomez firm. She claims she endured sexual harassment for more than a year because she is a single mom and needed a job. That lawsuit was filed in September, 2014. Court records show the case is now being heard by an arbitrator, instead of a superior court judge.
Petty told NBC 7 both claims are baseless.
“Anyone can allege anything in a lawsuit. Both women have no facts behind their claims of sexual advances and are attempting to win the lottery,” Petty’s November statement said.
A Yale University Law School graduate, Gomez is the founder and president of Gomez Trial Attorneys, which boasts high-profile and very lucrative courtroom victories for victims of accidents, defective products and dangerous drugs.
