As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the number of female CEO’s among Fortune 500 companies has dwindled to just 5.4% (27 out of 500). This statistic alone helps illustrate the persistent presence of glass ceiling / promotion discrimination within corporate America. Historical context While the number of female CEOs remains troubling low, it … Continued
You’ve filed a promotion discrimination, sexual harassment, or other employment discrimination lawsuit in court, so what happens next? Perhaps the most important, and certainly the most time-consuming, part of a court case is what’s called the discovery period. The information you obtain during discovery will make or break your employment discrimination case. Summarized below are … Continued
You’ve been working in a high-level position with your company for years, and were recently passed over again for a promotion in favor of someone you think is clearly less qualified. But that begs a key question in glass ceiling/promotion discrimination cases: how are you going to show you were better qualified for the job? … Continued
In an employment discrimination case under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, such as sexual harassment or glass ceiling/promotion discrimination, you may be able to recover money damages that are referred to as emotional distress damages. Emotional distress damages are a subset of what are commonly called “compensatory damages.” What are emotional distress … Continued
A recent study found that in astronomy and planetary science fields, “women of color experienced the most hostile environment, from the negative remarks observed to their direct experiences of verbal and physical harassment.” This conclusion is set out in a new report by the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, which builds upon other findings showing that … Continued
What are back pay damages? In an employment discrimination lawsuit under Title VII, the basic definition of back pay damages is that it gives you the money and fringe benefits you would have earned had your employer not discriminated against you. Put another way, the employer should be liable for the economic losses you suffered … Continued
A federal court denied summary judgment in a recent case involving sexual harassment, constructive discharge, and retaliation claims, clearing the way for a jury trial. The ruling is notable because it is relatively rare for a court to find that a plaintiff presented sufficient evidence of constructive discharge to warrant a jury trial on the claim. Also, … Continued
More than fifty years after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, too many workers are denied equal opportunity in the workplace and face egregious harassment and retaliation. For example, nearly 1 out of every 3 women (ages 18-34) experience sexual harassment at work, according to a study. And this study also finds that … Continued
Last week, a federal court in New York gave final approval to a $32.5 million class action settlement alleging racial discrimination against African-American employees of MetLife. The settlement calls for an interesting, two-tiered approach for evaluating money damages on an individual basis, as discussed in more detail below. The plaintiffs alleged that MetLife discriminated against African-American … Continued
One of the more hotly debated topics is whether executives should be viewed as the employer versus the employee when they suffer discrimination at work. This matters a great deal because if s/he is deemed an employer, then the executive will not be covered by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act‘s (and most other … Continued
