A former receptionist at the Hempstead law practice of Frederick K. Brewington alleged in a lawsuit filed this month in Suffolk that she was raped and subjected to constant sexual harassment by another employee who is the civil rights attorney’s cousin.
Gabrielle Leparik, 28, said in the suit that Brewington’s cousin Dwayne Lindsey, a former file clerk at the firm, demanded sex, sent her lewd photos of himself, and pressured her for nude pictures on an almost daily basis. Lindsey grabbed Leparik by the throat on one occasion and pulled her hair more than once, the suit claimed.
Leparik was terminated last month after she told the firm she wanted to take a two-week leave from her job to address mental health issues.
“Plaintiff realized that despite certain false claims made in the firm’s employment handbook, about its supposed handling of sexual harassment/discrimination incidents, the firm had no such practice or policy in place," the lawsuit said, adding that the firm was instead "hyper-focused" on maintaining Brewington’s image as a civil rights advocate.
Brewington and the law firm are named as defendants, along with Leparik’s supervisor Precilla Lockett and former legal assistant Dana-Simone Williams. In a separate federal suit filed in February, Williams had claimed she was subjected to sexual harassment while working for the firm.
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