Former Schnader Harrison partner sued for alleged secret videos

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Privacy Law Former Schnader Harrison partner sued for alleged secret videos

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 10, 2024, 8:46 am CDT

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A former partner at the now-closed law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis is facing an amended lawsuit claiming that he made secret recordings with hidden cameras in bathrooms or guest rooms at his residences in New Jersey. (Image from Shutterstock)

A former partner at the now-closed law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis is facing an amended lawsuit claiming that he made secret recordings with hidden cameras in bathrooms or guest rooms at his residences in New Jersey.

The April 2 complaint filed by Christine Fortuna of Philadelphia alleges that she was among those secretly recorded by the lawyer, Robert McKinley of Villas, New Jersey, Law.com reports. The suit seeks damages for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress.

McKinley was arrested in April 2022 on charges of manufacturing child pornography and possession of child sexual-abuse material, according to a story in the Cherry Hill Courier-Post published at the time. The indictment and a warrant for his arrest accused McKinley of secretly recording at least seven girls at his home, Law.com reports.

A second defendant in Fortuna’s suit is Lauletta Birnbaum, a New Jersey firm that McKinley joined in 2014. The suit claims that McKinley transmitted the videos through firm servers and stored them on a Dropbox account affiliated with the firm. Lauletta Birnbaum fired McKinley after his arrest.

The criminal charges are pending.

Law.com summarized McKinley’s work history based on his now-deleted LinkedIn profile. He worked at Schnader Harrison from 1999 to 2007. He became the intellectual property practice chair at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg, where he worked until 2012. He then worked for a year at RatnerPrestia before joining Lauletta Birnbaum.

Lauletta Birnbaum gave this statement to Law.com: “While the allegations against Mr. McKinley, if true, are repugnant and we truly feel for the victims of Mr. McKinley’s alleged wrongdoing, the firm had absolutely no reason to know of Mr. McKinley’s alleged conduct while he was associated with the firm and any claims by the plaintiff to the contrary are false and will be vigorously contested.”

McKinley did not immediately respond to the ABA Journal’s request for comment in a voicemail left at a number listed by Pennsylvania ethics regulators. Nor did he immediately respond to a request for comment by Law.com.

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