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NY Law Firm Associate Billed Clients for Escort Services, Porn, Limos

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on January 08, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

You can't bill prostitutes, hotel rooms, porn and limos to your clients -- unless they were there, too.

Unaware of this little caveat, James Hazen charged $21,000 in "personal services" to his corporate credit card. He then tried to bill his clients at New York's Hill Betts & Nash.

He claimed he was bipolar. They fired him anyway.

In typical lawyer fashion, Hazen sued the firm for discrimination. An administrative law judge with the State Division of Human Rights found in his favor, awarding him $600,000.

That award was based on a "total lack of evidence," according to a New York appellate court. In fact, the higher court found James Hazen's entire argument lacking in credibility.

Hazen tried to blame his salacious activities on his mental disorder -- he only used the rooms and escorts when he was in a manic or depressed state. But records show that he actually booked both services weeks before he used them.

He expected the court to accept the "preposterous notion that he was able to predict his mental state weeks in advance and plan accordingly." He also hoped the court wouldn't notice that he had billed an escort to the firm in 2001 -- four years before the onset of his disorder.

Hazen appears to have liked prostitutes regardless of whether he was in a manic, depressed or balanced state.

If you didn't guess it, the court overturned the administrative award, leaving James Hazen with nothing but a bad reputation. It seems even mental illness is not an acceptable excuse for workplace conduct.

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