Fight for Gender Equality: A Case Study in Workplace Discrimination
Questions About Workplace Discrimination?
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Legal Claims
Elaine's case was rooted in the following legal claims:
Gender discrimination under federal and state law: Elaine's employer engaged in gender discrimination by paying her and other similarly situated female employees less than their male counterparts and subjecting them to different job duties based on their gender.
Equal Pay Act Violations: This claim was rooted in the fact that her employer paid her and other female employees less than their male counterparts for substantially equal work. This claim arose under the federal Equal Pay Act as well as the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act.
Wage Act Violation: The failure to pay her earned commissions on termination was also a violation of the Massachusetts Wage Act.
Gender discrimination under federal and state law: Elaine's employer engaged in gender discrimination by paying her and other similarly situated female employees less than their male counterparts and subjecting them to different job duties based on their gender.
Equal Pay Act Violations: This claim was rooted in the fact that her employer paid her and other female employees less than their male counterparts for substantially equal work. This claim arose under the federal Equal Pay Act as well as the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act.
Wage Act Violation: The failure to pay her earned commissions on termination was also a violation of the Massachusetts Wage Act.
Our Solution
We filed a lawsuit on Elaine's behalf, asserting her discrimination and equal pay claims, as well as a claim under the Massachusetts Wage Act for the commissions that remained unpaid at her termination. After engaging in initial discovery, which supported her claims, the firm agreed to a favorable settlement.
Elaine's case demonstrates the importance of standing up for your rights in the workplace, especially when the employer is a law firm with an extra responsibility to uphold the law.
Elaine's case demonstrates the importance of standing up for your rights in the workplace, especially when the employer is a law firm with an extra responsibility to uphold the law.
Meet Our Employment Lawyers
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients on both the employee and employer side with severance and non compete review and negotiation, wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, and advice about employment law generally.
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped clients with wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination and retaliation claims, review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, and advice to both employees and employers about navigating complex employment situations.
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna has helped clients with review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, wage and hour disputes, employment and discrimination claims, and advice to small business owners about employment law and other business matters.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients on the employee and employer side with all varieties of employment law issues, including employment discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts, and advising employers about employment policies and practices.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped clients with wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, review and negotiation of severance agreements, and litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts on employment related issues.
How We Can Help
Are you in a similar situation? We have years of experience helping people with discrimination and retaliation issues, and we would be happy to help. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.