Four female prosecutors have sued Contra Costa County
District Attorney Diana Becton in federal court in Oakland for alleged gender
and age discrimination.
The lawsuit claims Becton has been “systematically
demoting and failing to advance, promote and assign supervisory roles to
qualified and accomplished prosecutors who are women” and has given
supervisory roles to less experienced and less qualified men.
The plaintiffs are deputy district attorneys Mary Knox,
Alison Chandler, Mary Blumberg and Rachel Piersig, who have worked as
prosecutors in the district attorney’s office for 34, 20, 15 and 13 years
respectively.
The defendants are the county, the Contra Costa County
District Attorney’s Office and Becton.
The lawsuit claims discrimination under both state and
federal civil rights laws and asks for an injunction and compensatory and
punitive financial awards.
Scott Alonso, spokesman for the Contra Costa County District
Attorney’s Office, said, “We don’t have any comment as it’s pending litigation.”
Source: NBC Bay Area
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