A federal judge has dismissed the high-profile PlayStation sexism lawsuit brought against Sony by former employee Emma Majo, but is giving her an opportunity to make a stronger case, leaving room for the fight to become bigger. As reported by Axios, U.S. magistrate judge Laurel Beeler dismissed 10 of the 13 claims made by Majo without prejudice, citing lack of evidence and details. Previously, a request made by Sony to toss the case out of court was denied.
Why PlayStation sexism lawsuit could get bigger
“This claim is dismissed because the plaintiff merely recited the elements of the claim and did not allege any specific facts,” Beeler wrote about a dismissed claim in a 20-page order. “For example, she does not describe her work or how her work was substantially equal to the work of any male allegedly paid more than she was paid.” Beeler has given Majo the opportunity to amend her claims and provide more details, but she’ll be facing an uphill battle due to this ruling. Nevertheless, the judge has ruled that Majo can continue to sue Sony over the remaining three claims regarding wrongful termination and violation of whistleblower protections.
According to Axios, Beeler stressed that 10/13 claims were being dismissed mainly because they were missing facts or were incorrectly filed. For example, she associated HR-related decisions involving promotions and demotions with harassment. Majo had requested to turn her lawsuit into class action on behalf of other female PlayStation employees, which Sony wanted the judge to strike down. Sony’s request was denied, with Beeler citing declarations from eight other women who had stepped forward to support Majo’s claims last month. The court is of the view that those declarations “may yield new allegations.”
No winner in ruling today on PlayStation gender discrimination suit
Judge dismisses most of ex-worker’s claims, agreeing with Sony they were light on facts. But Majo can amend, try to make stronger case
Sony bid to stop a class action has so far failed https://t.co/AcbbYEZkY5
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) April 22, 2022
In other news, it looks like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be revealed soon, and Borderlands 3 is finally getting full cross-play as Sony backs down.
