Current Cases
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Leveling the Playing Field for Girls in High School Sports – Victories in San Diego and Torrance
The benefits of participating in school sports go far beyond physical fitness. Studies show that high school girls who participate in team sports are less likely to drop out of school, smoke, drink, or become pregnant, and are more likely to go to college. The skills gained from sports participation, including teamwork, leadership, and discipline, are crucial to women’s success at work and in their personal lives.
Female athletes at Castle Park High School in San Diego, with help from the LAS–ELC and others, successfully brought a class action lawsuit against their school district for failing to offer them equal access to high school sports. more
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Transgender Employee Faced Harassment at Work
Maya Perez had been working at Burlington Coat Factory in San Francisco for five years when she underwent sex reassignment surgery from male to female. She believed that her employer would be supportive—but she was wrong. For seven years following her surgery, Maya was subjected sexual comments, inappropriate touching, and pornography by her supervisors, coworkers, and even customers. Management repeatedly ignored Maya’s complaints.
The Legal Aid Society–Employment Law Center (LAS–ELC) filed a complaint on behalf of Maya Perez in San Francisco Superior Court, charging Burlington Coat Factory with sexual harassment and discrimination. The suit was one of the first cases brought on behalf of a transgender employee in California since the state amended the Fair Employment and Housing Act in 2004, which outlaws discrimination on the basis of sex, to specifically include gender identity and expression. more
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Employment Laws Protect Live-In Domestic Workers
Like many domestic workers, Vilma Serralta lived in her employer’s home. For four years, the 71-year old immigrant from El Salvador labored 80 hours a week as a live-in housekeeper and nanny in the Atherton home of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sakhawat Khan and his wife Roomy, a private investor.
Typical of many such workers, Ms. Serralta’s limited English skills and lack of familiarity with her legal rights made her particularly vulnerable to employer abuse. She was paid a monthly salary equivalent to between $3 and $4 per hour—far below the minimum wage at the time of $6.75 per hour. more
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Thompson v. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Inc.
In 2001, the LAS–ELC, with local co-counsel, filed a class-action lawsuit against Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Inc. (formerly Ingalls Shipbuilding Company), the largest private employer in the State of Mississippi, The suit was filed on behalf of African-American employees who alleged race discrimination, retaliation and a racially hostile work environment.
The parties have reached an agreement that resolves the race discrimination claims of 64 employees at the NGSS shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. As part of the agreement, NGSS amended a number of its existing personnel policies, practices, and training programs to enhance include equal opportunities for all employees in promotions and other advancement opportunities. more