Sex Discrimination Archives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former Senior Director Sues Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. (BPM): Suit Highlights Retaliation, Gender Discrimination, and Failure to Pay Wages at the “largest California-based accounting and consulting firm”

EL SEGUNDO, CA (October 10, 2014)— Sandy Holder, one of the top professional service business development executives in Northern California, recently filed a lawsuit against Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc. (BPM), where she previously held the position of Senior Director, Business Development, with a focus on the SEC practice, which BPM’s website claims is “one of the largest in the U.S.”

Sandy came to BPM with an established track record of rapidly growing client bases and revenue for her employers – having held senior positions at PwC and Grant Thornton. According to the lawsuit, just five months after Sandy joined BPM, BPM attempted to materially alter Sandy’s commission structure by seeking to (1) delay the payment date for her bonus and (2) change the payment from lump sum to being spread out over a number of months. Less than a year later, when her first full year bonus was due, BPM’s CEO, Curtis Burr, stated that rather than pay her according to her contract, the “firm wanted to pay her something that they thought was fair.”

The suit further alleges that Sandy was subject to intimidating, threatening, condescending, and dismissive conduct from BPM’s Chairman of the Board, Richard Bellucci, who ultimately retaliatorily terminated her. According to the Complaint after a successful “CFO Wine and Dine” event hosted by Sandy on behalf of the firm, Mr. Bellucci attempted to appropriate an unopened $2,500 case of wine to take home with him. As the wine was property of the firm, and its shareholders, Sandy objected to Bellucci’s demand. Less than two weeks later, BPM terminated Sandy because she was allegedly not a “good fit” for the SEC Group, which is led by firm Chairman Rich Bellucci.

“While BPM’s website outwardly touts values like “Integrity” and “Respect”, the firm’s conduct as alleged in the Complaint not only lacks integrity and respect for female employees, but also lacks respect for California law and California public policy,” said Chris Adishian, attorney at Adishian Law Group, P.C. and one of the lawyers representing Sandy.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, seeks damages for lost wages, benefits and career opportunities, emotional distress, special damages, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs. Click here for a copy of the Complaint.

About Adishian Law Group, P.C.

Adishian Law Group (https://adishianlaw.com) is a California law firm with a statewide practice in the areas of Corporate law, Employment law, Real Estate law and Mediation Services. As of June 2014, the firm has represented corporate and individual clients located across 20 California counties, 7 States outside of California and 9 foreign countries in over 380 legal matters. Adishianlaw.com is one of the oldest continually operating law firm websites on the Internet. The firm serves its clientele via three offices located in the major business hubs of El Segundo, Palo Alto and San Francisco.

For more information about this press release, contact Chris Adishian: