Update, 3/17/22:
Sony has responded to the latest allegations of sexism and misconduct filed in an ongoing lawsuit by eight more women that previously worked at the company.
This news comes by way of Axios, which reports that Sony Interactive Entertainment says it is taking these allegations seriously.
“To be sure, SIE takes the substance of the newly submitted declarations seriously,” the company’s lawyers write in a new court filing. “Although most are by former employees who no longer work at SIE, SIE either has addressed or will address the issues raised in them in due course, as SIE values its female employees and takes proactive steps to ensure they have every opportunity to thrive and be heard.”
Despite this, Sony is still conceding to none of the legal accusations made against it, as noted by Axios, as the company is still seeking that a court dismisses the case, which is in the process of growing into a class-action lawsuit. For more about the lawsuit and updates on it since the start, read the original story below.
The original story continues below…
Original Story, 3/9/22:
Eight more women, some current and some former employees, have added their accounts of sexism experienced at Sony PlayStation to a proposed class-action lawsuit.
This news comes by way of Axios, which reports that these eight claims will be added to the claims of former Sony IT security analyst Emma Majo. She filed a lawsuit against the company last year, alleging that “Sony discriminated against female employees, including those who are female and those who identify as female, in compensation and promotion and subjects them to a work culture predominated by men.”
Majo sought court approval in 2021 to turn her case into a class-action lawsuit, stating that she filed the suit on behalf of herself and all women who have worked for Sony before and those still working there. Then, in February, Sony asked a court to dismiss it. Now, Axios reports that eight more claims of sexism experienced at the company in U.S. offices have been added to the case. These womens’ claims include demeaning comments, a lack of attention for their ideas and work, unwelcome advances, and a general sense that getting promoted within the company is harder for women, Axios writes.
One of them is Marie Harrington, a 16-year veteran of Sony PlayStation. Her filing says there’s a lack of women considered for senior roles during “calibration sessions,” citing that during one session, only four women were considered for promotions compared to almost 70 men that were considered. Harrington says she heard comments about female candidates’ family lives in those sessions that weren’t made for applicable male candidates, too.
Another one of the candidates said a third-party study found “a great imbalance in terms of employee distribution” amongst her team. Another, former program manager Kara Johnson, said, “I believe Sony is not equipped to appropriately handle toxic environments,” in her court filing, according to Axios. Johnson also reportedly shared a letter she sent to female employees upon her departure from Sony that talked about multiple attempts to notify superiors about gender bias, discrimination against pregnant women, and resistance from a senior man in human resources to properly act on these claims.
Sony’s request for this lawsuit to be dismissed won’t be addressed until a hearing next month.
For more, be sure to Axios’ full report. Read about how Sony asked a court to dismiss this class-action lawsuit after that.
[Source: Axios]
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