California Judge Allows Gender Pay Bias Suit Against Disney to Proceed

Walt Disney Co. failed to persuade a judge to dismiss a lawsuit by female employees who allege the company discriminates by paying male workers better.

A state judge in Los Angeles found that the 10 current and former employees who sued met the initial legal threshold to pursue their claims. They are seeking class-action status. Wednesday’s ruling opens the door for the plaintiffs to begin collecting evidence from the company.

“Today’s ruling merely deferred to a later point the decision whether plaintiffs’ individual claims are suitable for class action treatment,” Disney said in a statement. “We look forward to making our case that they are not at that time.”

The 10 plaintiffs seek to represent thousands of women in California, their lawyer, Lori Andrus, said after the hearing.