Silicon Valley's Next Big Thing: Gender Bias Litigation
The Ellen Pao verdict may be in, but it hasn't slowed the roll of gender discrimination lawsuits in California's tech industry.
April 27, 2015 at 07:52 AM
1 minute read
The Ellen Pao verdict may be in, but it hasn't slowed the roll of gender discrimination lawsuits in Silicon Valley. Lori Medley of Epstein Becker & Green notes that former employees of both Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. have recently filed suits against the companies alleging harassment on the basis of gender.
“These lawsuits come during a time when Silicon Valley companies have been under scrutiny in the media for their lack of diversity,” says Medley. She explains the Facebook suit, filed by Chia Hong, relies on the California Fair Employment and Housing Act to make claims of discrimination and harassment on the basis of gender, race and nationality. The second, filed by Tina Huang against Twitter, relies on the same legislation for a class action lawsuit, alleging the company's system for promoting employees is biased against females.
Medley reminds companies that a good way of mitigating similar claims is to implement a sexual harassment policy and compliance training as an aid “to fostering and developing a culture that does not accept or promote discrimination.”
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