A former public relations employee has brought a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Publicis Groupe SA., seeking class action status and the recovery of damages of at least $100 million based upon accusations the company systematically favored men over women in the workplace. The Plaintiff, who was global healthcare director in the Boston office of the company’s public relations division MSL Group, claims she was unfairly terminated after her return from a four month maternity leave, as when she returned to her position from leave she was directed to move immediately to New York without reimbursement for relocation expenses, thereby forcing her to accept termination from her position. The lawsuit claims that two other women were also terminated upon their return from maternity leave, while the company promoted and hired more men at an extremely high rate. As provided on their website, “MSL Group is a part of Publicis Groupe, the world’s third largest communications group, with activities spanning 104 countries and 43,000 professionals.”
