[ by Melanie Gretchen and Howard Haykin ]

Miami-based law firm, Greenberg Traurig, faced gender discrimination charges that had the potential of expanding into a significant class action lawsuit.  The suit is based on alleged discrimination against female lawyers, and carries potential damages of up to $200 million.  A New York attorney filed the 52-page complaint on behalf of 215 current and former GTLaw shareholders and had the backing of the federal EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ) - which is rare.  On average, the EEOC supports just 3.8% of the complaints it receives - afixing a "reasonable cause" label on the case.

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You can continue reading about GTLaw's settlement  of the case -  either below, on other the Reuters's web site. 

Greenberg Traurig settles $200 mln proposed class action
5/28/2013 COMMENTS (0)

(Reuters) - A proposed $200 million gender discrimination class action against the large Florida law firm Greenberg Traurig was settled on Friday, concluding the lawsuit five months after it was filed, according to court documents.

In December, former Greenberg Traurig shareholder Francine Friedman Griesing filed a 52-page complaint in New York federal court claiming the 1,700-lawyer firm violated the Equal Pay Act, the federal law that prohibits wage disparity based on sex. The lawsuit sought to represent 215 current and former Greenberg Traurig shareholders.

Griesing, who worked at the firm in Philadelphia from April 2007 through January 2010, claimed that the firm underpaid women lawyers and was governed by an "old boys club." She claimed further that she was underpaid by at least $200,000.

In her lawsuit, she pointed to an alleged incident in 2009, when she complained to managers about the size of her annual bonus. According to her complaint, she was told by compensation committee member Michael Lehr that the men had families to support and that she did not need the money.

In a single-paragraph order on Friday, New York federal Judge William Pauley dismissed the case after Griesing and Greenberg Traurig worked out a settlement. In his order, Pauley said that "all claims that were or could have been brought in the ... litigation are hereby withdrawn and shall be and hereby are dismissed in their entirety, with prejudice, and without attorney's fees, costs, or disbursement to any party."

David Sanford, the lawyer who brought the lawsuit for Griesing, declined to comment.

A Greenberg Traurig spokeswoman said that "the matter was concluded amicably" but declined to elaborate on terms of the settlement. Multiple Greenberg Traurig representatives, including CEO Richard Rosenbaum and Michael Lehr, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit came after Griesing filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which subsequently found that it had "reasonable cause to believe" the firm discriminated against its female lawyers by underpaying and "treating them less favorably" than men, according to court records. The EEOC finding was limited to the firm's Philadelphia office, according to a Greenberg Traurig spokeswoman.

[Reuters, 5/28/13]