Tap Dancing Before The D.C. Court of Appeals

Theme

I reported to the D.C. Department of Human Rights the following harassing incident that occurred at my former place of employment, the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.

In about August 1989 a paralegal named Stacey Schaar said to me: "We're all afraid of you. We're all afraid you're going to buy a gun, bring it in, and shoot everybody." Record on Appeal at 276.

In the D.C. Reply Brief before the D.C. Court of Appeals the above harassing incident was transformed, by slight of hand, into the following admission on my part: "At about the same time, Freedman was informed by one of the legal assistants that she and other legal assistants were afraid of him. Freedman believes that this was said to harass him. R. 276." D.C. Reply Brief at page 9.

Variation

What if I had reported the following incident to the D.C. Department of Human Rights?

In about August 1989 a paralegal named Stacey Schaar said to me: "We're all afraid of you. We're all afraid you're going to buy a nailgun, bring it in, and nail everybody to a cross -- and crucify us, the way your ancestors did to our Lord and Savior." Record on Appeal at 276.

No doubt the D.C. Corporation Counsel, in its Reply Brief before the D.C. Court of Appeals, would have transformed, by slight of hand, the above harassing statement into the following admission on my part: "At about the same time, Freedman was informed by one of the legal assistants that she and other legal assistants were afraid of him. Freedman believes that this was said to harass him. R. 276." D.C. Reply Brief at page 9.

Yes, say what you will about the Office of D.C. Corporation Counsel. But those fellows certainly had a sense of humor!