Nichols Law, P.C. is proud to announce the $2.2 million settlement of claims for gender and age discrimination and retaliation of its five clients, Mary Elizabeth Knox, Jill Henderson, Rachel Piersig, Alison Chandler and Mary Blumberg against Contra Costa County. We are grateful to our clients for their trust, professionalism and resilience. There were many people on our team we need to thank who worked on the case over the years including Brooke Sutter, Meeta Dama, Rachel Bravo, Eileen Rice, Rebecca Wildman-Tobriner, K.C. Meckfessel Taylor, Candace Johnson, Tori Arnau, Prashanthi Manoharan and of course our co-counsel Shelley Molineaux and David Ratner and expert Dr. Peter Glick.
The five female prosecutor plaintiffs share over 100 years of collective experience impressively serving the residents of Contra Costa County on some of its most complex and heinous criminal matters. Despite their credentials, and advance notice to District Attorney Becton of the history of discrimination, these women were passed over for promotion and preferred assignments in favor of junior men who consistently enjoyed preferential treatment. After District Attorney Becton refused to investigate, temper, or mediate the age and gender discrimination, these women were left with no alternative other than legal action and as a result they suffered further retaliation.
Honorable Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero ruled that the case could proceed to trial and issued sanctions against Defendant’s counsel for intentionally withholding information from the public that “clearly shouldn’t have been secret” leading up to the election.
It is our hope that the resolution of this case sends a strong message to employers to value experienced women and to proactively take measures to create an equitable environment free of retaliation.
