Cleveland attorney who called paralegal a ‘Ho’ and other names has been suspended

​COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cleveland attorney Howard E. Skolnick’s law license was suspended Wednesday by the Ohio Supreme Court after he was heard berating his paralegal on audio recordings.

Skolnick called the paralegal a “ho,” “dirtbag,” “stupid” and other names, made sexual comments and made fun of her husband and mother from 2011 to 2013, according to court documents. The paralegal recorded Skolnick’s comments on more than 30 occasions.

In his defense, Skolnick said he had learned the slang from rappers and hip-hop artists while working in entertainment law and he thought he was being funny, not harmful. Skolnick also said he had been diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder and showed signs of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, but the court did not find those were related to his behavior.

The paralegal reported suffering from anxiety, sleep disturbances, depression, and poor body image as a result of the harassment and tried for more than two years to find a new job, according to Wednesday’s opinion. She left the job in January 2014 and accused Skolnick of sexual harassment, discrimination and creating a hostile work environment.

Skolnick did not deny the claims and settled with her for $300,000. He told the court he has since hired a human resources manager to examine the firm’s sexual harassment policies and dialed back his oversight of the office.