Woman Drops Sex Assault Lawsuit Against Attorney Mike Morse
DETROIT (WWJ) - One of the five women who filed a lawsuit against high-profile attorney Mike Morse has dropped her case.
The woman, who was identified only as Jane Doe from Orchard Lake, on Thursday asked for the case to be dismissed after a judge ordered that her name be made public. She was the third woman to file a complaint against Morse, alleging she was assaulted in December while in Florida. She was seeking $17.5 million in damages.
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger has filed four other lawsuits for women who claim Morse sexually assaulted them. Morse has denied the allegations.
The latest lawsuit was filed earlier this week. Britteny Paz of Taylor claims Morse touched her while she was bartending the law firm's Christmas party last December. The $25 million suit claims Morse texted her the following day, stating "It wasn't bad having a great looking bartender like you." Morse's attorney calls the suit -- with the largest monetary claim to date -- "more of the same."
The first lawsuit, seeking $10 million, claims that Morse molested a woman in a back room at a Farmington Hills restaurant in April. Renee Swain of Novi claims she was taking a photo with Morse when he allegedly grabbed her breasts and asked if that made the photo better.
The second lawsuit, seeking $15 million, was filed by a former employee at the Mike Morse Law Firm in Southfield. Samantha Lichon of Hazel Park claims 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 she complained to her superiors and to Human Resources, but nothing was done. She was fired this past February.
The fourth lawsuit, seeking $20 million, claims that Morse targeted his female paralegal at the company Christmas party in 2015. Jordan Smits claims Morse approached her from behind and grabbed her breasts. The lawsuit says she complained to human resources and was told the "number one priority" was to protect Morse's reputation. 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.
Morse has denied any wrongdoing, saying the allegations are fabricated, and that Fieger — who is a competitor — is out to ruin his reputation.
On Wednesday, he filed a motion to have the first case against him go to arbitration, saying the initial lawsuit was bogus and the allegation was "shocking, outrageous and completely false."
[Motion To Compel Arbitration]
"This is also a pathetic attempt to harm my reputation, something the Fieger Law Firm stands to benefit from," he added.