May 19, 2010

Federal Jury Awards $250M in Punitives in Novartis Sex-Bias Case

by Martha Neil
ABA Journal

A federal jury's award of $250 million in punitive damages today in a corporate sex-bias case is reportedly the largest ever in a gender discrimination case.

The award comes two days after the Manhattan jury found Novartis AG liable for discriminating against 12 women concerning pay, promotion and pregnancy and awarded them $3.3 million in compensatory damages, according to the New York Post and Reuters.

That earlier verdict opened the door for nearly 5,600 more women who worked for Novartis between 2002 and 2007 to apply for compensatory damages, explains Reuters. Presiding Judge Colleen McMahon will determine how much the drugmaker must pay each member of the class.

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