Goldman Settles Lawsuit Over Pregnancy Bias With Former Vice President
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. settled a suit by a former vice president who claimed she was pushed onto the “mommy-track” and eventually fired after she chose to work part-time following her pregnancy.
The lawsuit, filed in March by Charlotte Hanna, claimed violations of the U.S. Family Medical Leave Act, and gender and pregnancy discrimination. The terms of the settlement are confidential, said Douglas Wigdor, Hanna’s attorney.
In her complaint, Hanna said she joined Goldman as an associate in 1998 and two years later was promoted to vice president for Goldman Sachs University, an in-house training program. She claimed her opportunities for advancement at Goldman Sachs disappeared when she took maternity leave with her first child in February 2005.
“When Ms. Hanna decided to take the ‘off-ramp’ provided by the firm to devote time to her children, there was no ‘on-ramp’ that enabled her to return to full-time employment,” her lawyer wrote in the complaint. “The ‘off-ramp’ was a direct path to a mommy-track that ultimately derailed Ms. Hanna’s career.”
Hanna claimed that once she began working part time for the firm, she was channeled into lower positions that made it more difficult for her to earn more money and advance to better positions. She claimed she was demoted, lost her office and then was fired in 2008, before she returned from a second maternity leave.
Goldman Sachs spokesman David Wells had no comment.
The case is Hanna v. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., 10-cv-02637, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Van Voris in New York federal court at dglovin@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: David E. Rovella at drovella@bloomberg.net.
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