A Las Vegas attorney is suing her former firm, alleging that she was targeted and forced out after reporting sexual misconduct by the top billing attorney.
Attorneys for Lesley Miller filed suit Friday in District Court against Kaempfer Crowell and its shareholders, claiming breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy.
“After Lesley reported years of sexual harassment and misconduct by that high billing shareholder, Firm leadership responded by embarking on a coordinated campaign to diminish her law practice, undermine her credibility with clients and colleagues, deprive her of compensation, and ultimately, force her out of the Firm — in effect, to punish her for not remaining silent about horrific events occurring at the Firm,” the complaint said.
Defense attorney Marcus Lee provided a statement from the firm: “Miller’s lawsuit is filled with mischaracterizations and fiction. There is a full story to the end of Miller’s employment at Kaempfer Crowell that will come to light through the suit. Kaempfer Crowell looks forward to its opportunity to rigorously defend its actions and trusts in the legal system to clear its name and reputation.”
Miller declined to comment. Her attorney Dennis Kennedy declined to identify the attorney accused of misconduct.
According to court papers, the attorney facing the harassment allegations was ultimately removed from his positions at the firm and escorted out by law enforcement in April after other women complained about him.
Attorneys named in the suit did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the suit, Miller joined the firm as an associate in 2010, became a partner in 2015 and advanced to the level of shareholder in Jan. 2025, purchasing 500 shares of firm stock for $50,000.
During her tenure, the filing said she also faced sexual harassment and verbal abuse by a shareholder the suit refers to only as “The Predator.”
That lawyer said “women wear stilettos to get screwed in the office,” told Miller and other to “wear those jeans again” because they look “criminal” and claimed he could identify female employees’ underwear through their clothing, according to the suit.
“During a Firm-sponsored event, the Predator made inappropriate comments and overtures to Lesley, which she rejected,” the complaint said. “Afterward, Lesley was told that she had been rude to the Predator and was forced by one of the Firm’s Shareholders to apologize to him.”
Miller reported the behavior to Robert Gronauer, the managing partner, general counsel Lyssa Anderson and at least one other shareholder, who is not named, according to the suit.
Gronauer failed to take action and said he did not want to hear complaints about “the Predator” and plaintiffs’ attorneys believe Anderson also did not address the behavior, court papers said.
At one point, the suit said, Gronauer told Miller that “the Predator” had brought a woman to the office after hours and tied her to his desk. The woman’s friend called 911 to report an assault at the firm and law enforcement responded, records said.
Shareholders Stephanie Gronauer and Joshua Correlli were also aware of that incident, according to the suit.
“Following the Incident, the Firm did not remove the Predator but instead placed him in a position of supervision and authority over Lesley, requiring Lesley and other women to report to and work directly with him,” the complaint said.
The suit did not specify the date of the 911 call and the Metropolitan Police Department did not provide records.
Kaempfer Crowell and Anderson have previously represented Metro, including in litigation over Margaret Rudin’s wrongful conviction lawsuit after Rudin’s high profile conviction in the murder of her husband was overturned. Anderson also represents Metro in litigation over the department refusing to release some defendants onto electronic monitoring
Miller’s suit alleged that she was punished to protect the attorney who had committed misconduct.
Gronauer and other shareholders denied Miller a raise, gave “the Predator” her biggest case and $52,000 worth of her receipts, removed her as a billing timekeeper and voided her attorney’s fees, according to the complaint.
The attorney accused of misconduct was removed on April 6 after other women complained, the filing stated. At the time, the suit said, the firm’s human resources manager quit because leadership did not inform her of complaints about the attorney.
Later that month, Gronauer barred Miller from a shareholders’ meeting and in May, he gave her a separation agreement and release of claims and told her to resign or be fired, the complaint alleged. Miller’s suit said she refused to sign and was removed from her positions.
As of Friday, the suit said, Miller had not received her share of the 2025 shareholder distribution or the return of her $50,000 contribution.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
