NEWARK, N.J., March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Bayer HealthCare
Pharmaceuticals was handed a pounding $100 million headache today
that even its highly-publicized aspirin is unlikely to relieve.
The law firm of Sanford Wittels & Heisler, LLP, filed a
class action complaint in U.S. District Court for New Jersey,
citing instances of illegal gender discrimination that echo the
experiences of female employees at Novartis Pharmaceuticals who
successfully won a jury award of more than $250 million last
year.
The six Class Representatives Victoria Barghout, Jennifer
Christiansen, Barbara Feringa, Jennifer Musumeci, Laura Reilly, and
Karen Salomon filed the complaint on behalf of themselves and a
class of female employees in the United States under Title VII of
the 1964 Civil Rights Act and New Jersey law. The document details
a pattern and practice of discrimination in pay, promotions, and
the treatment of pregnant women and mothers by the multinational
corporation.
The individual plaintiffs and the class are represented by
Katherine Kimpel of Sanford Wittels & Heisler, LLP, in
Washington, D.C. Ms. Kimpel recently served as Co-lead
Counsel in Velez v. Novartis, securing a verdict of more
than $253 million, the largest jury award in the U.S. in a gender
discrimination case.
“Bayer engages in systemic discrimination against its female
employees – particularly those with family responsibilities
– by paying them less than their counterparts, denying them
promotions into better and higher paying positions, limiting their
employment opportunities to lower and less desirable job
classifications, and exposing them to different treatment and a
hostile work environment,” said Ms. Kimpel. “To make matters
worse, Bayer is often blatant about its disregard for its female
employees.”
According to the complaint, Bayer has published and disseminated
articles that suggest men are better suited to be managers t
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