Protect Consumer Justice » gender discrimination

Dan Rather previews the Supreme Court arguments on the Wal-Mart gender discrimination case

jg — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:05:40 +0000

Huffington Post: Dan Rather writes about the gender-discrimination case against Wal-Mart, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, which he featured recently on his television program on HDNet, “Dan Rather Reports.” “What’s at stake is the very definition of what a class action can be,” Rather writes. “And that has everyone from the captains of big business, to the leaders of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to civil rights lawyers very interested in the outcome.” The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether the case can proceed as a class action on March 29.

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With friends like Altria and Bank of America…

jg — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:30:35 +0000

Bloomberg: Altria (parent company of tobacco products maker Philip Morris USA) and Bank of America are among 19 companies that have filed amicus curiae briefs in support of Wal-Mart Stores appeal of an employment discrimination case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Greg Stohr reports, “Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, last month asked the high court to block female employees from suing on behalf of as many as 1.5 million women….Wal-Mart is accused in the 2001 suit of paying women less than men for the same jobs and giving female workers fewer promotions.” Wal-Mart is appealing the certification of the class in the case.

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N.Y. Times: Wal-Mart employment practices “deserve a full hearing”

jg — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:23:39 +0000

New York Times: In an editorial, the Times urges the U.S. Supreme Court not to block a class action lawsuit accusing Wal-Mart of discriminating against female workers in pay and promotions. The editorial says Wal-Mart is smart to take the matter to the Supreme Court, “given the court’s clear tendency to rule in favor of corporations.” But the Times argues, “Wal-Mart’s employment practices deserve a full hearing…The Supreme Court should give the women of Wal-Mart a chance to make their case together.”

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Novartis to pay $150+ million for gender discrimination

jg — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:23:43 +0000

New York Law Journal: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. “will pay upwards of $152.5 million to potentially thousands of female employees who are current or former sales representatives” to settle remaining gender bias claims, reports Mark Hamblett. The employees had alleged they were discriminated against in pay, promotion and in pregnancy policies.

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What did Wal-Mart know, and when did it know it?

scott — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:02:06 +0000

The New York Times Business section this morning has an interesting look behind the legal curtain at Wal-Mart, which is fighting class-action suits by female workers comolaining they had been systematically discriminated against. From the story:

More than six years before the biggest sex discrimination lawsuit in history was filed against Wal-Mart Stores, the company hired a prominent law firm to examine its vulnerability to just such a suit.

The law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, found widespread gender disparities in pay and promotion at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores and urged the company to take basic steps — like posting every job opening and creating specific goals to promote women and minorities — to avoid liability.

The 1995 report said that women employed by Wal-Mart earned less than men in numerous job categories, with men in salaried jobs earning 19 percent more than women. By one measure, the law firm found, men were five and a half times as likely as women to be promoted into salaried, management positions.

Maybe Wal-Mart should have listened back then?

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Jury punishes Novartis to the tune of $250 million

jg — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:11:20 +0000

Bloomberg BusinessWeek: A New York jury has awarded $250 million in punitive damages to a group of about 5,600 women who sued Novartis Pharmaceuticals for gender discrimination. David Glovin and Patricia Hurtado report it is “the largest ever employment discrimination verdict.” The award represents 2.6 percent of the 2009 revenue of Novartis’ U.S. unit. Earlier the same jury had awarded a total of about $3.4 million in compensatory damages to 12 of the plaintiffs.

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Novartis to become first company to pay punitive damages in gender discrimination case

jg — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:33:17 +0000

New York Law Journal: A jury found Novartis Pharmaceuticals liable “for discriminating against women in pay and promotion and on the basis of pregnancy,” reports Mark Hamblett. The 12 name plaintiffs were awarded a total of $3.3 million in compensatory damages. The jury also determined punitive damages should be awarded the 5,600 women in the class. The plaintiffs are seeking $200 million in damages in the second-largest pending gender discrimination class action in the nation.

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