GE general counsel, Lorene Schaefer, takes her employer to court in $500m sex discrimination case

Global conglomerate GE has been hit with a $500m-plus sex discrimination claim from one of its lawyers.

Lorene Schaefer, general counsel at GE’s transportation business, has accused top directors of overseeing “company-wide discriminatory treatment of its more than 1,000 executive-band employees and female attorneys”, the Times, reports.

Schaefer has alleged that the discriminatory pay and promotion policies have resulted in a glass ceiling at GE for women at executive level.

According to the lawsuit filed by law firm Sanford Wittels & Heisler, the claim demands “nominal, compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $500m”.

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GE has strongly denied the allegations and said it would defend against the claims in courtP>