Cushman and Wakefield Race Gender Discrimination Suit

Case name: Nicole Urquhart-Bradley v. Cushman and Wakefield, Inc., and Shawn Mobley

Case type: Race Discrimination and Gender Discrimination

Filed in: United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Docket: Case no: 1:18-cv-02213-RCL

Case Summary

In 2018, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight filed suit on behalf of Nicole Urquhart-Bradley against commercial real estate giant Cushman and Wakefield, the plaintiff’s former employer, and CEO Shawn Mobley, alleging race and gender discrimination and retaliation.

At Cushman and Wakefield, Ms. Urquhart-Bradley rose to the position of President of Valuation and Advisory for the Americas. As one of only two female service line leaders in the company—and the lone Black female executive—Ms. Urquhart-Bradley was regularly tapped as an ambassador for “diversity” so that Cushman and Wakefield could project an image of inclusion, despite the company’s entrenched “old boys’ network” culture, the Complaint alleged.

Behind the scenes, Ms. Urquhart-Bradley repeatedly faced discriminatory career roadblocks despite her stellar record of performance, the Complaint alleged. When she succeeded her white male predecessor as President of Global V&A in 2016, Cushman and Wakefield would not attach the word “Global” to her title. Meanwhile, the company asked Ms. Urquhart-Bradley to serve on the executive committee of the newly formed Diversity Council, which quickly dissolved. That same year, the Complaint alleged, Ms. Urquhart-Bradley helped prevent V&A executives from being poached by rivals. But while the company offered millions in retention bonuses to several of these white male subordinates, Ms. Urquhart-Bradley was accused of disloyalty and terminated by CEO Shawn Bradley when she asked for a fraction of the same benefits, according to the Complaint. Cushman and Wakefield thereafter falsely claimed that her separation from the company was “mutual,” the Complaint alleged, and insisted on enforcing the company’s 12-month non-compete agreement, impeding her ability to find another position in her field of expertise.

In 2022, the matter concluded.