Wisconsin Court Affirms Arbitration Award of Reinstatement
In a very interesting decision by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals last week, the Court upheld an arbitration award against the large household goods store Menard’s for employment discrimination against, wait for it, its own in-house lawyer. As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
Menard Inc. must reinstate a woman it fired as vice president and general counsel over a pay dispute, 3rd District judges for the state Court of Appeals said in a decision released Tuesday.
Dawn M. Sands filed a lawsuit in Eau Claire County citing the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act. She claimed gender-based pay discrimination, asserting that similarly situated male employees were paid more.
A three-person arbitration panel found in her favor and awarded compensatory and punitive damages. The panel also ordered Menard to reinstate Sands with a specific salary and bonus. Menard balked and asked the appellate court to overturn an order by Eau Claire Circuit Judge Paul J. Lenz that had upheld the arbitration panel.