Lawyer fined $5,000 for rejecting male client

BOSTON (CNN) -- A female lawyer must pay $5,000 in damages to a client she refused to represent, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination ruled Tuesday.

Divorce lawyer Judith Nathanson broke the law when she declined to represent Joseph Stropnicky because he is a man. She was ordered to pay damages for emotional distress.

The decision underscores that lawyers, like public accommodations, are subject to anti-bias laws. Nathanson had argued that she can represent whomever she wants.

Stropnicky had taken care of the children and done the housework during much of his 18-year marriage, and was referred to Nathanson when he and his pediatrician wife decided to divorce.

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