Fourth Sex Abuse Complaint Filed Against Mike Morse Claims He Assaulted Employee At Christmas Party
(WWJ) High-flying attorney Geoffrey Fieger fired yet another round in his legal war against fellow litigator Mike Morse, this time alleging Morse sexually abused one of his own employees at the company Christmas party.
It's the fourth complaint Fieger has filed against Morse in the last few weeks alleging sexual violations against Morse and demanding civil judgments on behalf of the alleged victims. The fourth case demands $20 million in damages.
The first woman is seeking $10 million after she says Morse grabbed her breasts at a Farmington Hills restaurant; The second filed a $15 million sexual harassment suit claiming Morse, her boss, frequently made unwelcome and graphically sexual comments, groped her body and even invited her to his hotel room — all without encouragement. The lawsuit says the victim complained to her superiors and to Human Resources, but nothing was done. She was fired this past February.
The third suit claims Morse sexually assaulted a Michigan woman in December while in Florida. The suit seeks $17.5 million in damages for the woman who was in Miami on December 30 with a group of friends. She says one of the friends invited Mike Morse to the outing at a restaurant– and the alleged assault happened while Jane Doe and Morris were in the backseat of the car at the end of the night. According to the woman – – the incident was witnessed by others in the car.
In the fourth and newly reported instance, Fieger's complaint says Morse targeted his female paralegal and "the harassment included unwelcome conduct of an offensive and sexual nature."
Specifically, the complaint says the woman was at the company's Christmas party in 2015 when Morse approached her from behind and grabbed her breasts. The woman says she wrenched his arms away.
The woman said she complained to human resources and was told the "number one priority" was to protect Morse's reputation. She allegedly told another member of the firm, who responded, "what am I supposed to do, you know how Michael is."
The woman continued working for Morse until February 2016, when she said she emailed him and other associates telling them she felt uncomfortable because of the Christmas incident and was leaving her job.
She said someone from the firm offered her two weeks of pay if she signed a non-disclosure agreement. When she refused, Morse allegedly told the employee to threaten her by saying he knows a lot of people and could make it difficult for her to find a job.
In every case, Fieger says the women suffered severe emotional and mental distress, economic losses, humiliation, grief and embarrassment, loss of reputation, fright and shock, and physical symptoms like shaking hands, cold sweats and loss of appetite.
Morse strenuously denied the first accusation and Wednesday filed a motion to have one of the cases against him go to arbitration.
[Motion To Compel Arbitration]
He said the initial lawsuit was bogus and the allegation was "shocking, outrageous and completely false."
"This is also a pathetic attempt to harm my reputation, something the Fieger Law Firm stands to benefit from," he added.