The law firm of Katz, Marshall & Banks filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dr. Margo Fitzpatrick, a former Booz partner, in the District of Columbia Superior Court against Booz Allen Hamilton for allegedly discriminating against its female employees and engaging in retaliatory firing. Booz Allen is being charged with maintaining a “‘glass ceiling’ barring women from top leadership positions and oust[ing] female executives who object to sex discrimination.”
Debra Katz, an attorney representing the plaintiff, stated, “Contrary to Booz Allen’s self-claimed and much-hyped commitment to a diverse workforce, the highest circle of its corporate leadership is off-limits to women and is maintained that way by its male executives. No matter how accomplished or successful you are at Booz Allen Hamilton, if you’re a woman, you will hit a glass ceiling. And when you raise concerns about the exclusion of women from leadership positions at the Firm or other blatant acts of sex discrimination, you will find yourself, as Dr. Fitzpatrick did, out of a job.”
The lawsuit alleges that Booz Allen used sex stereotyping and discriminatory language in its promotion evaluation system and prevented women executives from entering into high ranking positions. When women executives inquired about the absence of women in top leadership positions, they were told by senior male employees that such questions would lead to the women’s termination.
This is the second sex discrimination suit filed against Booz Allen this month. The first suit was filed by Molly Finn, formerly the company’s highest ranking woman employee. Currently none of Booz Allen’s top 45 leadership positions, including its board of directors and executive vice presidents, is occupied by a woman.
