A partner at Proskauer Rose told a Washington, D.C., federal court Monday that “rank-and-file” partners at her firm function as employees, not business owners, and the court should therefore reject Proskauer's bid to dismiss her $50 million gender bias lawsuit.

Lawyers for the Jane Doe plaintiff at Sanford Heisler Sharp filed a flurry of papers opposing the firm's motions for dismissal and summary judgment. The suit alleges that Doe was paid less than male counterparts, despite excelling as a partner, and that the firm marginalized her when she complained about unequal pay.

Proskauer argued in June that the complaint sought to shoehorn claims by a disgruntled but highly paid equity partner into federal and state anti-discrimination laws that are really meant to protect employees who hold no ownership stake in a business. The firm also dismissed the claims of bias and retaliation as “utter falsity.”