Ledbetter V. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co
Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 05-1074
Summary of one or more of the main legal arguments:
It seems this class has made me realize how tricky the justice system can be. I have been coaxed into reading more and more about the law and realizing that everything is not as black and white as it seems. For this legal research paper I decided to analyze the law concerning pay discrimination. This is a subject dear to my heart, as I believe I witnessed some of this first hand in relation to my wife when she managed a branch of a credit union.
Lilly Ledbetter worked at Goodyear's facility in Gadsden, Alabama, for 19 years, beginning in 1979. She first contacted federal authorities in March 1998, alleging sex discrimination. A formal charge was filed three months later. Ledbetter then took early retirement in November. She claimed she was given poor evaluations and denied raises other workers had been given, all because of her sex. Her lawsuit alleges her starting salary was in line with men performing similar work, but dropped in comparison over the years to the 15 other area managers, all of who were men. Her pay was 15 to 40 percent less than her fellow managers.
Both the EEOC and a jury ruled in her favor, and Ledbetter prevailed and was awarded nearly $4 million dollars in pay and punitive damages, which the judge reduced to $360,000.
The jury had found that Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company had discriminated against Lily Ledbetter by downgrading her evaluations because she was a woman in a traditionally male job. Year after year, the company used these unfair evaluations to pay her less than her male coworkers who held the same job. The jury was outraged by Goodyear's misconduct and awarded back to Ms. Ledbetter to correct this basic injustice and hold the company accountable.
However, in 1998, The Supreme Court ruled against her, holding that she had waited too long to file her lawsuit. It ruled that she should have filed her lawsuit within a short
Summary of one or more of the main legal arguments:
It seems this class has made me realize how tricky the justice system can be. I have been coaxed into reading more and more about the law and realizing that everything is not as black and white as it seems. For this legal research paper I decided to analyze the law concerning pay discrimination. This is a subject dear to my heart, as I believe I witnessed some of this first hand in relation to my wife when she managed a branch of a credit union.
Lilly Ledbetter worked at Goodyear's facility in Gadsden, Alabama, for 19 years, beginning in 1979. She first contacted federal authorities in March 1998, alleging sex discrimination. A formal charge was filed three months later. Ledbetter then took early retirement in November. She claimed she was given poor evaluations and denied raises other workers had been given, all because of her sex. Her lawsuit alleges her starting salary was in line with men performing similar work, but dropped in comparison over the years to the 15 other area managers, all of who were men. Her pay was 15 to 40 percent less than her fellow managers.
Both the EEOC and a jury ruled in her favor, and Ledbetter prevailed and was awarded nearly $4 million dollars in pay and punitive damages, which the judge reduced to $360,000.
The jury had found that Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company had discriminated against Lily Ledbetter by downgrading her evaluations because she was a woman in a traditionally male job. Year after year, the company used these unfair evaluations to pay her less than her male coworkers who held the same job. The jury was outraged by Goodyear's misconduct and awarded back to Ms. Ledbetter to correct this basic injustice and hold the company accountable.
However, in 1998, The Supreme Court ruled against her, holding that she had waited too long to file her lawsuit. It ruled that she should have filed her lawsuit within a short
References: Sherman, Mark. (2007). Justice limits suits on pay discrimination. Retrieved June 22, 2007, from Ft Worth Star Telegram Web site: http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/119262.html Mears, Bill (2007) CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears June 14, 2007, from Ft Worth Star Telegram http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/29/news/pay-discrimination/ Connell, Tula. (2007) Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Now in Congress. Retrieved June 17th. Retrieved Jun 22, (2007), from Alfcio.org