Singleton, et al. v. Regents of the University of California

Alameda Superior Court Case Number 807233-1

Case Type: Class Action - Gender Discrimination in Employment

Status: Settled for $11 million in past & future wages and injunctive relief

The Sturdevant Law Firm was lead counsel for a class of more than 3,000 women scientists, technicians and other employees at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in this class gender discrimination case against the Regents of the University of California. The lawsuit alleged that the Regents paid female employees at the lab less than comparable males and discriminated against women in its evaluation and promotion process. The Alameda County judge presiding over the case certified the proposed class in January of 2001 and denied the Regents’ multiple motions for summary judgment it its favor. In October 2003, after extensive litigation and discovery, the parties entered into a class-wide settlement agreement. The agreement provides for payment of $9.7 in back wages to members of the class, plus an "equity" increase in salary to class members still employed at the lab which totals approximately $1.3 million. The Regents also agreed to change the lab’s evaluation and salary determination procedures to prevent discrimination in the future and to permit annual monitoring of those procedures and their results. The settlement was approved in February 2004.