After being criticized earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, three separate sexual harassment lawsuits have been reported.
Alkermes continues to be in the spotlight for negative reasons. After being criticized earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris over marketing tactics for opioid addiction drug Vivitrol, three separate sexual harassment lawsuits have been reported.
The Boston Business Journal reported this morning that three former female Alkermes employees have each filed a lawsuit against the company. Each of the women claim some form of harassment in the lawsuits. One of the complainants was a sales rep who said her male supervisor made derogatory comments about her weight and the way she dressed. A Nevada-based lobbyist for the company said she was excluded from meetings and passed over for promotions and raises, unlike her male colleagues. The third woman was a drug vial inspector who, the Journal reported, “blew the whistle on alleged sexual harassment.” While the incidents in each of the cases are different, each woman claimed she was terminated from the company “in retaliation for complaining about supposed mistreatment,” the Journal reported.
The lawsuits were filed in January and August of 2016 and in August of this year. The Journal said Alkermes has denied wrongdoing in each of the lawsuits.
“Alkermes is an equal opportunity employer and maintains separate and detailed policies regarding fair employment practices and workplace sexual harassment. We do not comment on individual employment litigation,” a company spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Journal.
- In Ohio, Linda Vantress said in her lawsuit that she received a pay cut and was later fired from her inspectors role after “assisting with an investigation into claims that a male coworker had harassed another female employee,” according to the Journal. The case was dismissed after both parties agreed, the Journal said. There was no mention of a settlement.
- In Pennsylvania, Dana Tamberlli said she was fired one day after filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over allegations of sexual harassment by her supervisor. The case was settled for $37,500, although the Journal noted there are some issues surrounding that agreement.
- Pauline Whelan’s case in Nevada is still pending in court. The Journal said that on Nov. 20, part of the complaint was dismissed, but another portion of the case remains before the court.
None of the cases have received much media attention, the Journal added, however each of the cases highlight concerns the biotech industry, as well as other industries, face about diversity and equality. Citing a report by trade group MassBio, the Journal said one-fourth of surveyed women believe the industry recruiting process is biased against women. One-third of surveyed women believe the performance evaluation process at biotech companies is biased.
Last year, more than 400 current and former female employees filed a $250 million class action lawsuit against pharma giant Merck & Co., Inc. alleging gender discrimination and unequal pay. According to the complaint, the women in the class action lawsuit allege that Merck “systematically discriminates against female sales representatives, and pregnant women in particular, in promotions and other terms and conditions of employment.” Those allegations are in addition to allegations of unequal pay.
Merck is certainly not the only company to face allegations of gender bias. In 2015, Alcon, a Novartis division, was slapped with a $110 million gender discrimination lawsuit that alleged the company fosters a “boys club” attitude that is hostile to women. The two plaintiffs, Elyse Dickerson and Susan Orr, say the company specifically violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits gender discrimination by employers, and the U.S. Equal Pay Act. That lawsuit was settled last year for $8.2 million.
