Ex-Jones Day partner who alleged rampant sex bias drops all claims

A former partner at Jones Day who sued the firm arguing it underpaid female attorneys and failed to address systemic gender discrimination has withdrawn her complaint and dismissed all her claims.

The suit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court a year ago by Wendy Moore, now at Perkins Coie LLP, sought damages under the California Private Attorneys General Act for alleged violations of the California Equal Pay Act and the state Labor Code.

"Last year, Wendy Moore sued Jones Day in California asserting pay equity and wrongful termination claims. Ms. Moore has now dismissed all of her claims against Jones Day in exchange for return of the capital that she previously contributed to the firm," Jones Day spokesman David Petrou said in a statement.

Moore's complaint was filed in June 2018 by David Sanford of Sanford, Heisler, Sharp LLP, who declined to comment.

The lawsuit claimed Jones Day runs like a fraternity, in which a "black box" compensation structure maintained women attorneys were paid less than their male counterparts. Moore, an eighth-year partner, had claimed she made as much as a male, sixth-year associate who earned $810,000 in 2015.

"Jones Day operates as a fraternity. Male senior partners mentor male associates and assist them in climbing the ranks to partnership. They pass the firm's business through male-centered social events focused on athletics. Female attorneys are treated as second-class citizens. They are not, nor can they be, full members in the fraternity," according to Moore's lawsuit,

The lawsuit said the firm only recently changed its policy from banning compensation discussion to being discouraged from doing so.

Moore was fired six days after she said she had notified the firm that she had asserted gender discrimination claims. The lawsuit said the firm declined to return $337,500 in capital and didn't return more than $200,000 in previously earned compensation. Further, she said the firm sent her an incorrect tax form overstating her earnings on the amount Jones Day didn't pay her.