SECOND CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST JONES DAY

On behalf of Girard Bengali, APC posted on Monday, April 8, 2019.

Employment discrimination and unequal pay based on gender continue to be pervasive problems in workplaces in California and throughout the country. Despite the fact that women are protected from employment discrimination based on their sex under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and from pay discrimination by the Equal Pay Act, many of them continue to experience these problems.

A class-action lawsuit was recently filed against Jones Day, originally founded in Cleveland and now one of the largest law firms in the world. It is the second class-action lawsuit filed against the firm. The first lawsuit alleges that Jones day employs a black box compensation system through which female attorneys are paid less than their male counterparts.

The more recent one was filed by six female plaintiffs and purports to represent a class consisting of all women who have worked for Jones Day or who will be employed by the firm in the future. The lawsuit alleges that Jones Day has a fraternity-like culture that creates a harmful working environment for female associates. It also alleges that the compensation system is used in a sexually stereotyped manner. Through the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking damages of $200 million for the class of plaintiffs.

Women who believe that they are being discriminated against because of their protected status may benefit from consulting with experienced employment law attorneys. Counsel might suggest that the matter first be handled through the procedures outlined in the employee manual. If that proves to be fruitless, the next step might be to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In some cases, the EEOC will file a lawsuit on the plaintiff’s behalf while in others, the agency will allow the plaintiff to bring a private cause of action.