Microsoft employees lose bid to unite 8,600 women in gender discrimination lawsuit

A federal judge on Monday denied a motion for class certification that would have added as many as 8,600 women to a gender discrimination lawsuit against Microsoft.

The lawsuit, filed in 2015 the U.S. District Court of Western Washington in Seattle, accuses Microsoft of discriminating against women by paying them less and passing them over for promotions.

Microsoft has disputed the discrimination claims, and in an opposition brief filed in January in response to the suit said it spends $55 million per year on “innovative diversity and inclusion programs.”

Former Microsoft engineer Katie Moussouris filed the lawsuit and was joined by current Microsoft employees Holly Muenchowand Dana Piermarini. The women are represented by San Francisco-based law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein.

The proposed class could have included more than 8,600 women who are or were technical employees at Microsoft, but Judge James L. Robart denied the women's motion for class-action status in a sealed order on Monday, limiting the number of plaintiffs to the three named on the lawsuit.

Any other women who wanted to be part of the case will have to do so individually at their own expense. Fewer plaintiffs likely means a smaller payout from Microsoft if it were to lose the case.

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