Disney is about to face a massive storm over the unjust gender pay gap, as a judge certified a class action lawsuit against the conglomerate. Allowing 9000 women to sue the company for pay disparity under California’s Equal Pay Act, the judge gave a green light to tackle the Mouse House.
The conglomerate has been repeatedly accused of systematically paying women in California less than men. Although Disney expressed disappointment in a written statement, the company has been accused of gaslighting women for four years. And now since the pay disparity is based on gender and not legitimate factors, the company awaits a tragic fate.
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Disney Has Been Accused of Gender Pay Gap
Walt Disney Production has been successfully managing the company and its shares for years. Hiring talents from all over the world, the Mouse House soon turned into a globally renowned conglomerate. However, in recent years, the company’s reputation has significantly lowered after facing constant accusations and lawsuits.
Although Disney is accustomed to legal cases, it appears to be awaiting a major storm as of 2023. Accused of systematically paying women in California less than men, the company got called out for pay disparity based on gender, rather than legitimate factors. Employees LaRonda Rasmussen and Karen Moore were the first to file a complaint based on discrimination against female workers.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys Lori Andrus, Joseph M. Sellers, and Christine E. Webber along with the employees pleaded with a California judge to allow them to turn the matter into a class-action suit, in June 2023. Almost 6 months later, the judge finally certified a class action lawsuit against the Mouse House and allowed 9000 women to sue the company.
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Judge Allowed 9000 Women to Sue Disney
According to reports from Variety, the lawsuit is currently the largest ever certified under California’s Equal Pay Act. Plaintiffs’ attorney Lori Andrus applauded the judge’s decision and expressed herself outside the courtroom in downtown Los Angeles.
“Disney has been gaslighting these women for four years. They love their jobs. They love the brand. But they want to be respected and treated the way they should be in the workplace.”
On the other hand, Disney issued a statement expressing their disappointment with the ruling. A company spokesperson even claimed that they are considering their options at the moment – “we are disappointed with the court’s ruling as to the Equal Pay Act claims and are considering our options”. Further, Felicia Davis, attorney for the defendant, argued against the case.
Arguing that it is completely baseless to compare salaries across thousands of job groups, Felicia Davis rattled off a long list of job titles. She argued that just because two employees are working the same job and have the same level, doesn’t mean that their works are “substantially similar”. Davis believes that it is too diverse a case to merit certification.
