Judge Rules Jones Day Leave Policy Lawsuit to Proceed

A U.S. District Judge has ruled that the law firm Jones Day must face a lawsuit alleging its parental leave policy discriminates against fathers, specifically regarding a policy that provides additional paid disability leave to birth mothers but not fathers. Former associates Julia Sheketoff and Mark Savignac, who are married, claim this policy reinforces harmful gender stereotypes and filed their lawsuit over five years ago. The judge allowed Savignac to pursue claims of retaliation after he was fired for protesting the policy, while dismissing the couple's claims regarding underpayment of Sheketoff due to her gender. Jones Day has described the lawsuit as 'legally meritless' and stated that Savignac's termination was due to poor judgment. The case now heads to trial, as the judge denied the firm’s request to dismiss the claims and also rejected a summary judgment sought by the plaintiffs. This ruling underscores ongoing discussions about gender equity in workplace policies.