Sony faces class action lawsuit for gender pay discrimination

Sony Interactive Entertainment is being sued for alleged gender pay discrimination.

Ex-Sony employee Emma Lee Majo has filed a class action lawsuit against the company that alleges widespread and global gender pay gaps. Majo, who served 6 years as an IT Security Risk Analyst at Sony, says that the billion-dollar firm favors males with promotions an higher pay for the same jobs that women held.

"Sony tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees, including female employees and those who identify as female. Female employees are subjected to continuoing unlawful disparate treatment in pay and work opportunities,"the lawsuit claims.

These issues are endemic within Sony Interactive Entertainment's core leadership and aren't isolated to any one region, the suit alleges. "Sony's discriminatory employment practices, policies, and procedures are centrally established and implemented at the highest levels of Sony."

The suit also says that the issues are "not unique or limited to any location" and they "apply uniformly and systematically to employees throughout Sony"'

Majo and her counsel are seeking a laundry list of damages and compensatory orders alongside court-ordered policy reform at Sony. The lawsuit is calling for a jury trial.

The prayer for relief includes:

• Statutory and civil penalties
• Attorney's fees
• Compensatory damages
• General damages
• Special damages
• Punitive damages
• All wages due
• Liquidated damages
• Prejudgment interest on unpaid wages
• Declatory relief
• Preliminary and permanent injunctive relief demanding Sony not violate California Labor laws for paying female employees less than males
• Order forcing Sony to make new work programs aimed at promoting gender pay equality
• Order requiring Sony to equalize pay between men and women
• Award of back pay, front pay, lost benefits, and other damages for lost compensation
• Nominal damages