US District Judge Peter Dorsey rejected a motion filed by General Electric (GE) to prevent a high ranking attorney’s lawsuit from achieving class action status.
Lorene Schaefer filed suit against GE Transportation accusing officials of giving unfair preference to men in promotions to top-paying legal jobs.
Dorsey rejected the argument from GE that Schaefer cannot lead a class action lawsuit because she had access to confidential client information while employed with GE. Dorsey’s ruling did state, however that "If at any point during discovery, the defendants learn and can demonstrate that plaintiff is inappropriately using confidential client confidences in asserting her claims or representing the class, the court may reconsider the propriety of plaintiff's class allegations at that time."