Former Jones Day partner drops suit claiming 'enforced code of silence' led to pay bias
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A former Jones Day partner in California has dropped her pay bias suit against the law firm in exchange for return of capital that she contributed to the firm.
Lawyer Wendy Moore has dismissed all her claims, according to a statement by the law firm emailed to the ABA Journal. The Recorder and Bloomberg Law have coverage.
Moore’s June 2018 suit had alleged that the law firm’s secretive compensation system and subjective performance reviews were designed to hide pay discrimination against women. The suit alleged an “enforced code of silence” regarding pay that was softened in the months leading up to the suit.
Moore’s suit also claimed that the firm had a “fraternity culture” in which male leaders make sexist comments and rate the attractiveness of female attorneys and other workers.
A separate suit filed by female associates in April also described a fraternity culture that is “at best inhospitable to women and at worst openly misogynistic.” The suit claims discrimination based on gender, pregnancy and maternity.
In a response to the associates’ April suit, Jones Day said it has an inclusive culture and a partnership that includes 240 women. The majority of female partners at the firm are mothers who took family leaves and often worked flexible schedules, the law firm said.
