Attorney sues prominent Fresno law firm for sexual harassment, names two of its partners

As a law student, Abigail Sedra appeared to do everything right to land her dream job at one of the city’s most prestigious and well-known law firms, McCormick Barstow.

Sedra graduated with honors from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law, a favorite recruiting ground for the Fresno firm. She had several internships, including at the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. And she studied with retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in Salzburg, Austria.

By 2021, her resume was top-notch and she was hired by McCormick Barstow as an associate attorney.

But her time with the firm was short-lived. Soon after she started she became the alleged target of sexual harassment by one of the partners, Matthew Fletcher. The experience, according to her lawyer Maria Minney of Labor Law in Santa Monica, was devastating for the 24-year-old lawyer.

Sedra filed a civil lawsuit against McCormick Barstow on Jan. 11 alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent harassment, battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional stress. She is seeking financial damages.

Named in the 35-page lawsuit is Fletcher, the firm and partner Dana Denno, who Sedra confided in, but who failed to try to stop the harassment, according to the lawsuit.

McCormick Barstow hired attorney Linda Moroney, a partner with Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhan, a San Francisco-based firm with offices nationwide.

She provided a statement on her client’s behalf.

“The allegations in Ms. Sedra’s Complaint are completely inconsistent with the McCormick Barstow firm’s thorough investigation, which included interviews and a review of emails and call logs. Moreover, both Mr. Fletcher and Ms. Denno vehemently and very credibly deny the allegations,” according to Moroney’s statement.

Unwanted touching and more alleged

Fletcher is accused of unwanted touching, hugging, and invitations to have drinks in his office. He’s also accused of staring at Sedra and winking.

Others in the office also began to notice, Minney said.

“Plaintiff started having the ‘ick’ feeling when Fletcher was around her. Plaintiff’s close friend and fellow associate, Jane Doe 1, also noticed Fletcher’s behavior around Plaintiff and they discussed it that evening. It was their joint impression that Fletcher was a ‘creep,’” according to the lawsuit.

What Sedra didn’t know prior to joining McCormick Barstow is that the “firm’s partners were well aware of Fletcher’s troubling history with young, female associates,” the lawsuit states.

The final straw for Sedra was an alleged incident on the day of the firm’s Christmas party on Dec. 10, 2021. According to the lawsuit, Fletcher invited Sedra to his office for a drink. They were alone and Sedra was uncomfortable. She tried to make small talk, but Fletcher kept trying to get closer to her. They were about 1 to 2 feet apart when he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her toward him.

“He was tall enough that her face was forced against his chest, and she could feel his face against the top of her head. She stood utterly frozen and frightened as to what his next move would be, feeling he was completely in control. She kept repeating in her head ‘don’t look up, don’t look up’ and she did not move. He just kept holding her and while not sure she felt the sensation of him kissing the top of her head. For Plaintiff, it felt like an eternity, but could have been one minute or five minutes that Fletcher just held her while she stood immobilized. He suddenly let her go without doing anything further,” according to the lawsuit.

Help didn’t come as expected from female partner, lawsuit says

That night Sedra spoke to Denno about what happened and felt better that she had an advocate in the office.

“Plaintiff was genuinely under the impression at that time Denno was going to help her. Plaintiff would later discover she could not be more wrong,” according to the lawsuit.

Sedra discovered later that Denno did not talk with the firm’s Human Resources office about the alleged harassment, the lawsuit states.

Minney said she is proud of Sedra’s courage to stand up and speak out against sexual harassment of women.

“McCormick Barstow’s conduct in its handling of the situation involving one of its top partners and this young, female associate attorney is reprehensible, especially taking into account how this firm holds itself out as a pillar of the community — both in prestige and ethics,” Minney said.

Sedra turned in her two-weeks notice on Jan. 21, 2022 after learning that Fletcher had been promoted, despite the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around him, according to the lawsuit.

Sedra is currently working in Sacramento as an attorney.

Minney said this case isn’t about squeezing some money out of the company. Employers who settle sexual harassment cases can keep the amounts confidential. That is why she is pushing for a jury trial.

“Verdicts effectuate change,” she said. “That is what Abigail wants and I, as well as our whole team, are 100% invested in achieving that outcome. I am interested in justice and not just sweeping this under the rug with a quick and easy settlement.”