Former UPS driver Kathy Young, who accused that firm of pregnancy discrimination, will have her day in court again, but Ellen Pao, who accused her firm of gender discrimination and retaliation, is walking away empty-handed.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that Ms. Young’s lawsuit against UPS for refusing to grant her light duty while she was pregnant should proceed to trial after two previous rejections. On Friday, a court in San Francisco threw out Ms. Pao’s charges of gender-based discrimination and retaliation for her filing a lawsuit against the venture capital (VC) firm where she worked, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
“I have told my story and thousands of people heard it,” Pao said outside the courtroom after the verdict was reached. “If I’ve helped to level the playing field for women and minorities in VC, it was worth it.”
The jury that heard the five-week trial was comprised of six men and six women, and the vote on all charges was at least 9 to 3. By most accounts, the trial was a seminal event in the male-dominated Silicon Valley, where her firm is located.
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