A lawsuit accusing Major Lindsey & Africa of defamation has taken another turn, with former employee Sharon Mahn filing a motion to disqualify Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP from defending the recruiter in her $75 million federal suit.
Mahn’s motion, submitted Friday in the Southern District of New York, argues that three Smith Gambrell attorneys are key witnesses to determine liability. She alleged the attorneys “literally lied” in prior litigation, making their testimony critical to assess the alleged misrepresentations.
The contentious history between Mahn and Major Lindsey began in 2009, when the recruiter fired her and later accused her of trading trade secrets for monetary kickbacks. That dispute ended in arbitration, awarding Major Lindsey $2.9 million, which Mahn, who declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2022, has not paid, according to court records.
Mahn’s legal battles expanded in 2022 under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, with her bankruptcy trustee suing Major Lindsey for negligence. The suit accused the firm of fostering a misogynistic culture where Mahn alleged she had been groped by a colleague. Major Lindsey moved to arbitrate the claims, citing prior agreements, and the state Supreme Court ruled in its favor, a decision Mahn is appealing.
