$200 Million Gender Bias Trial Against Novartis Gets Under Way

Law.com
Vesselin Mitev
New York Law Journal
April 09, 2010

The trial of a $200 million gender discrimination class action suit against Swiss-owned drug maker Novartis Pharmaceuticals began Thursday with the defense saying the company "makes no claim that we are perfect" but denying that it underpaid women or intentionally promoted them less frequently than men.
"This isn't a company with a glass ceiling," defense attorney Richard Schnadig told the jury of six women and four men in the closely watched case.
The 5,600-plaintiff class in Velez v. Novartis, 04-cv-9194, claims that Novartis actively discriminated against women by discouraging pregnancies and ignoring complaints of sexual harassment, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
In opening arguments, plaintiffs counsel Katherine Kimpel said that the company fostered a culture that "ignores and undermines legitimate concerns and complaints," including failing to discipline a manager who used derogatory names for women, asked female sales representatives to sit in his lap, and showed them pornographic images.
The suit also alleges that only 30 percent of the company's district managers were women.

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