(Bloomberg) -- Nike Inc. lost its first attempt to scale back a class-action lawsuit accusing the athletic apparel giant of systematic pay discrimination against female employees.
The company sought to block the four women who sued in August from proceeding collectively on behalf of other employees, but a federal magistrate judge said it's too early to limit who's covered by the case. The magistrate's findings will be reviewed by a district judge.
The four former employees alleged that Nike mistreats women by relying on their salary history in setting their starting pay, marginalizing their performance to stifle their career growth, and largely ignoring sexual harassment. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said when the case was first filed that if it clears the difficult hurdle of attaining class-action status, she expects at least 500 more women to join.
Nike Gets Tripped Up While Trying to Change Its Culture
Last year, Nike announced that in the wake of a review of its pay structure, including pay equity, it was increasing the salaries of about 7,400 workers worldwide.
A spokesman for Nike declined to comment.
The case is Cahill v. Nike Inc., 3:18-cv-01477, U.S. District Court, District of Oregon.
To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Blumberg in San Francisco at pblumberg1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wollman at ewollman@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg, Joe Schneider
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