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A federal judge has dismissed ten of the 13 gender discrimination claims brought against Sony in a lawsuit, but is giving the claimant more time to build a stronger case. The claims, which centre around accusations of pay disparity and workplace harassment, have been dismissed without prejudice, but the lawsuit could continue should the worker in question choose to pursue it.
Emma Majo brought the case against Sony in November of last year. She claims, among other things, that she was fired after she brought her complaints of discrimination to HR. The claim was not dismissed in court, and the judge has ruled that Majo can continue to sue Sony for wrongful dismissal and violation of whistleblower protections.
As reported by Axios, Sony's legal woes are far from over. Not only is Majo able to continue with three of the discrimination claims (and try and put forward the other ten in a stronger case), but the industry giant is also facing accusations from eight other women. In March, other women at PlayStation supported Majo's case, adding their own accounts of sexism to a potential class-action lawsuit.
This dismissal alone is also far from a victory for Sony. Not only did it fail to have all of Majo's claims dismissed as it had originally requested, but the judge has also stated that the new statements from the other women "may yield new allegations."
Majo now has 28 days to amend her case, should she wish to stand by all 13 of her claims. At the time of the lawsuit first being publicized, her court documents read: "Sony tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees, including female employees who identify as female. Female employees are subjected to continuing unlawful disparate treatment in pay and work opportunities."
Sony has denied all of Majo's allegations. In response to the further claims put forward in the proposed class-action lawsuit, it said that it "values its female employees and takes proactive steps to ensure they have every opportunity to thrive and be heard."