Affairs in the office are tricky matters at the best of times but when they involve lawyers, high powered, high octane, ego driven lawyers, then things can get really messy.
Take the successful law firm of Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik – a mouthful we know – and look at what has happened to the fight between the two founding partners in the Empire State-resident firm, which has scored over $3 billion in law payouts for everything from Ground Zero workers to diet pill victims.
A former lawyer at the firm, Vanessa Dennis, claims that partner Paul Napoli (pictured left and center) conducted an 18 month-long affair with him and it has lead to harassment and threats from Napoli’s wife. Among other things, Ms Dennis claims her alleged former lover’s wife stole her cat. It doesn’t get worse than that. Unless its a dog.
Vanessa Dennis is suing the Napolis and the law firm itself for allegedly “aiding, abetting, facilitating and conspiring with Marie’s attacks” in a $9 million defamation suit.
Ms Dennis, 33, said that Mrs Napoli, 47, waged an unremitting campaign against her, her family and her friends with messages that denounced and threatened her and which were sent via email, Facebook and other social media sites.
