On September 16, 2015, Outten & Golden LLP and our co-counsel, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, filed a gender discrimination class action lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation in federal court in the Western District of Washington. The case, Moussouris v. Microsoft Corporation, was brought by a former female Microsoft technical professional on behalf of herself and all current and former female technical professionals employed by Microsoft in the U.S. since September 16, 2009.
The class action complaint alleges that Microsoft has engaged in systemic and pervasive discrimination against female employees in technical and engineering roles with respect to performance evaluations, pay, promotions, and other terms and conditions of employment. The unchecked gender bias that pervades Microsoft’s corporate culture has resulted in female technical professionals receiving less compensation than similar men, the promotion of men over equally or more qualified women, and less favorable performance evaluation of female technical professionals compared to male peers.
The complaint alleges that the disadvantage to female technical employees in pay and promotion is not isolated or exceptional, but rather the predictable result of Microsoft’s policies and practices and lack of proper accountability measures to ensure fairness, and that Microsoft has implemented these policies and practices despite knowing that they have a long-standing disparate impact on female technical employees. “The gender-equality issues raised by this lawsuit are all too familiar — Microsoft systematically undervalues the efforts and achievements of its female technical employees. This is an important step in our efforts to lift the glass ceiling for women working in what once were traditionally male-dominated professions,” said plaintiff’s attorney Adam T. Klein of Outten & Golden LLP. To view a copy of the complaint, please click here.
The district court denied Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification on June 25, 2018, and Plaintiffs have filed a petition to appeal the order with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. You can read a copy of the petition here.
Individuals interested in learning more about the lawsuit may visit http://microsoftgendercase.com/ or call toll free at 1-800-254-3079. Interested individuals may also contact Ossai Miazad at 212-207-0043 for more information.
(*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)
