Cushman & Wakefield COO Sues, Claims Discrimination
By Al Barbarino October 22, 2013 1:58 pm
reprintsCushman & Wakefield (CWK) chief operating officer Suzy Reingold is reportedly suing her firm for $20 million, claiming gender and age discrimination after she says she was promised the top spot at the firm but was brushed aside for a younger, male candidate.
“The job is yours,” Ms. Reingold claims she was told when the company’s former president of the New York region, Joseph Harbert, departed in 2012 for Colliers International.
Instead, the 66-year-old, who joined the company in 2005 as executive managing director, becoming chief operating officer of the company’s tri-state region in February, was passed up for 38-year-old Ron Lo Russo. The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, also states that male counterparts who manage fewer people have been compensated at significantly higher levels.
“These allegations are completely without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously,” C&W said in an emailed statement. “Ron Lo Russo… has brought incredible leadership to this role, recently hiring a number of new leaders and spearheading a new Professional Real Estate Program. In his short time as President, Lo Russo has brought a level of collaboration among our professionals who are highly focused on bringing the company to the next level in New York.”
