Female Lawyers File Wage Discrimination Suit Against Farmers

Farmers Insurance routinely paid male attorneys more than female lawyers with equal or more experience, Lynne Coates states in a class action suit recently certified by a California federal judge. Coates claims that, despite good performance reviews and the support of her peers, she discovered that male attorneys with similar or less experience were making between $150,000-$200,000, while she was making $99,634. In addition, new male attorneys with no insurance defense experience were being hired on a higher pay scale than Coates and another female attorney who was making just $68,000. Coates claims that when she brought the issue to the attention of her supervisor, she was relieved of duties she had performed for years. After several attempts at communication, Coates finally quit and filed suit, saying that Farmers all-male executive leadership team has created a corporate-wide stance on uniform policies, procedures, and practices that have a disparate impact on female employees.