New York, NY: Publicis Groupe is facing a gender discrimination class action filed by a former public relations employee who alleges she was unfairly terminated after a four-month maternity leave. She had worked for the company from 1991 to 1993, the lawsuit says, as a global healthcare director in the Boston office of the company's public relations division MSLGroup.
The lawsuit reportedly states that while women make up 70 percent of the public relations work force at Publicis, they only hold 15 percent of the leadership positions.
The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and seeks class-action status. It was filed by Monique da Silva Moore, who was global healthcare director in the Boston office of the company's public relations division MSLGroup.
The lawsuit says that two other women who returned from maternity leave were also terminated while the company promoted and hired more men at a disproportionately high rate.
The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $100 million.