2007 May 29

Supreme Court Denies Lily Ledbetter Remedy for Unequal Pay

 

Lily Ledbetter worked for 19 years at the Goodrich Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama, retiring in 1998. When she discovered that she had been paid less than male counterparts she sued, claiming discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

In Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, decided on this day, the Court rejected her claim because it had not been filed within 180 days of receiving her first paycheck.

Her case sparked national outrage, and Congress responded on January 29, 2009, by passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which relaxed the time requirements for filing pay discrimination suits.

Watch Lilly Ledbetter speak to the 2012 Democratic National Convention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHQDIsd5CW0

Read her story: Lily Ledbetter, Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond (2012)

Learn more about the Ledbetter Act from the EEOC

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