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Judge says gender discrimination suit against PlayStation is light on facts

Topher

Gold Member
A federal judge dismissed much of a former Sony PlayStation employee's gender discrimination lawsuit against the gaming giant on Thursday, but is giving her an opportunity to make a stronger case.

Driving the news: In a 20-page order, U.S. magistrate judge Laurel Beeler dismissed 10 of ex-worker Emma Majo's 13 claims without prejudice, including those focused on pay discrimination and harassment.

Majo can amend those claims and try again, but will have to rebound from a ruling that says she hadn't stated enough details to make her case, particularly regarding alleged violations of the Equal Pay Act.
What they're saying: "This claim is dismissed because the plaintiff merely recited the elements of the claim and did not allege any specific facts," Beeler wrote.

"For example, she does not describe her work or how her work was substantially equal to the work of any male allegedly paid more than she was paid. "
Majo can continue to sue Sony over three claims involving wrongful termination and violation of whistleblower protections, the judge ruled.
Majo filed suit in November, saying she was fired in 2021 after submitting a gender bias complaint to the company.

Sony had discriminated against female employees for years, she said, paying them less and subjecting them " to a work culture predominated by men.”
In February, Sony's lawyers denied the claims and asked the court to toss the whole suit
Between the lines: Throughout her ruling, Beeler echoed Sony's assertion that Majo simply didn't present enough facts to make her case.

In some cases, the judge ruled, claims of harassment were incorrectly applied to personnel decisions like promotions and demotions.
Yes, but: This legal fight may still get bigger.

Majo wanted to turn her suit into a class action claim on behalf of women who've worked for PlayStation, and the judge denied Sony's efforts to strike that.
Beeler cited declarations added to Majo's suit in March from eight other women who currently and formerly worked for PlayStation.
Those filings were full of claims of sexist work practices at PlayStation, and the judge noted that the declarations "may yield new allegations."
Sony had said it took those women's claims seriously and had addressed or planned to address them.

 

Jennings

Member
I'm glad she still has the option of gathering all of her evidence together and re-filing her claims. Hopefully she'll have council that will see to it she shows up better prepared on the next go-round.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Being a judge in today's lunacy with gender fluidity crowd is really tough. I feel sorry for the judge.

GWJs.gif
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
She expected to get promoted after 6 months and constantly asked about it. Management got tired of her thinking she was entitled to a promotion.

I think the point your ready for promotion is when you never mention it and make it apparent through your hard work and action. Then suddenly a senior manager will walk up to you, ask how your doing and then mention that they are looking for someone to fill a role and will be advertising the vacancy soon...

Not once have I asked or demanded, you will need to put in the work though, and at least for me it takes at least a year normally more for this event to "suddenly" trigger.
 
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HTK

Banned
What makes United States great is that we have hundreds of thousands of judges across the United States on the local level that are good honest people and make good decisions majority of the time. So you better come correct or gtfo.
 
I think the point your ready for promotion is when you never mention it and make it apparent through your hard work and action. Then suddenly a senior manager will walk up to you, ask how your doing and then mention that they are looking for someone to fill a role and will be advertising the vacancy soon...

Not once have I asked or demanded, you will need to put in the work though, and at least for me it takes at least a year normally more for this event to "suddenly" trigger.
Your case is an outlier. In general, senior management won’t approach you and promote you based on performance alone. Senior managers tend (after a certain level) to praise more soft than technical skills. So, in many cases, won’t matter if your performance is super high and perhaps this was her case and she is using the fact that she is a woman to make her case more appealing.
 
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jigglet

Banned
Defendant has some Erin Brokavich level ambitions in her head.

The ending though is probably not going to match up with her delusions of grandeur.
 

Yoboman

Member
You could get rid of probably half of all court cases if the law added a penalty against the person filing the complaint where if they lose they get grilled $5000 for wasting the court's time.
That's a stupid idea

These are already small people going up against a massive corporation and you want to punish those who might actually have been sexualluly assaulted if the corporate lawyers are better?

And the loser laying court costs happens alot anyway
 
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Goalus

Member
What are the chances that the woman who initiated this lawsuit is literally shaking right now?

Also, doesn't the behavior of the judge that is being reported here qualify as micro-aggression? - He should be careful at least.
 
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Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Did she forget to hire a lawyer? Surely they would have advised that some evidence was required.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Finally, something that Blizzard Activision is setting the bar in. They said they were going downhill, but I knew the underdog champions would rise again!
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I was paid less by Sony than any of the men OR women that worked there, they paid me zero dollars for the no work that I did for them, so really I'm the most discriminated one of all.
Where the guy who “advertises for PlayStation for free” on here?

I demand reparations for him.
 

BreakOut

Member
Systemic nonsense. Issues exist but provide proof. If it’s as bad as she claims there should be overwhelming evidence and specifics she can share to make a legitimate case.
This is the lady who complained her boss left the door open when she came to speak to him right? Sony has that policy not to have male leadership alone in a room with a women I think. She actually complained that it was sexist.

Edit: I know there is a lot more than just the door claim, but that is one that I remember laughing about because it seemed like such a reach.
 
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zaanan

Banned
If you're just "saying shit to say it" then its not even GTFO, its "call your mother & father and tell them you're a failure, then read some books before returning to society or else fire yourself out of a cannon into the sun".
I would take it further - if it can be proven that it is a frivolous/slanderous lawsuit, fine the plaintiff and make them pay the defendant’s court costs. Shut that shit down and free up courts for necessary cases.
 
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