Only woman in TN office was paid less than men, lawsuit says. Now company will pay up
A health company owes a Tennessee worker $80,000 after a lawsuit says she was paid less than her male colleagues over a five-year period.
Medsurant Health settled a sex discrimination lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Court documents show the woman was paid $65,000 per year when she transferred from Tampa, Florida, to Nashville in 2016. At the time, her male colleagues were making at least $80,000 per year, the lawsuit said.
The female worker received raises almost every year up until 2019, but she was always paid less than her male colleagues, according to the lawsuit.
Attorneys for Medsurant Health wrote in an email to McClatchy News that the company denies the lawsuit’s accusations and says they are “without merit and not factually based.”
“However, in order to bring this matter to closure and end the distraction of potential litigation, a settlement agreement has been reached,” the company said. “Medsurant remains committed to its associates and patients and will continue to embrace the diverse culture of the company.”
The woman worked as a monitorist, the only female one in the office, and the job description was identical to that of her male colleagues, according to court documents. The role required them to provide intraoperative neurophysiologic diagnostic and monitoring services to hospitals and surgeons.
The female monitorist complained to a supervisor about the pay gap in March 2020, but the issue was never addressed, according to court documents.
Months after complaining, she was scheduled for a last-minute assignment on a day off, the lawsuit says. When she declined, she was given a final disciplinary warning despite having no prior disciplinary warnings, according to court documents.
The same last-minute assignment was given to a male monitorist, who also declined but did not receive any formal discipline, documents show.
After the female monitorist received a final warning, she was given last-minute cases more often, the lawsuit said. The final warning also barred her from promotions and raises, according to court documents.
Retaliation by Medsurant Health led the female monitorist to resign in October 2020, the lawsuit says.
The company violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, according to court documents.
“More than 60 years after passage of the Equal Pay Act, women continue to face pay disparities in the workplace,” EEOC Philadelphia District Office Director Jamie Williamson said in a news release.
Medsurant Health is headquartered in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, which is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia.
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