Former Law Clerk Accuses New York Supreme Court Judge Of Sexual Harassment, Judicial System Of Covering It Up

A former law clerk is suing the New York state Supreme Court justice in Manhattan that she worked under for sexual harassment, alleging that several members of the court were responsible for covering up his unwanted advances towards her.

Alexis Marquez claims she was fired from her clerkship under Supreme Court Justice Douglas Hoffman after she rebuffed his advances to treat her “as a wife, girlfriend, personal companion, and personal assistant,” according to the 118-page complaint filed in a Manhattan federal court.

The complaint names 17 court officials in total, including Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks, all of whom Marquez claims suppressed her complaints and perpetuated the “widespread culture of silence and retaliation” in the courts starting just one month after she began working for Hoffman in September 2017.

During her first three weeks as a clerk for Hoffman, Marquez claims the judge repeatedly asked her a barrage of personal questions and shared personal videos and text messages with her. He suggested that they have lunch together every day, and instructed her to sit close to him and take off her suit jacket, walk him to his car, and ask Marquez to picture herself married to him, according to the complaint.

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