On June 29, 2018, Sanford Heisler Sharp secured final approval of a $4 million class settlement reached in April 2017 for female sales force members of Forest Laboratories and Forest Pharmaceuticals (“Forest”). Judge Ronnie Abrams’ order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York was the capstone of six years of litigation in Barrett et al v. Forest Laboratories, Inc., et al. on behalf of the named plaintiffs and a class of other female employees of the pharmaceutical giant who experienced systematic gender discrimination at the company.
The class includes all-female sales force employed by Forest—as well as its affiliates, parents, predecessors, and successors—who worked in a legacy-Forest position as a sales representative, specialty representative, hospital representative, institutional representative, or regional sales trainer in the U.S. for at least a day between February 6, 2010, and April 3, 2017. The women alleged they were subjected to discrimination in compensation and promotion, as well as pregnancy-related discrimination – all of which adversely affected their pay and advancement.
After years of extensive litigation, the plaintiffs and Forest engaged in settlement negotiations with a nationally known and experienced mediator and ultimately reached an agreement to settle the claims.
The plaintiffs were represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp attorneys David Sanford, Jeremy Heisler, Deborah K. Marcuse, Michael D. Palmer, Thomas J. Henderson, David Tracey, Melinda Koster, and Nicole Wiitala.If you have questions about the case against Forest and/or the settlement, you can receive additional information by contacting Sanford Heisler Sharp at F:P:Sub:Phone}.