Update:
- X Corp. must face a class action lawsuit claiming it discriminated against women after Elon Musk purchased the company and took over as CEO.
- After Musk took over the company, he allegedly sent an ultimatum email asking employees to work long hours. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled “Musk’s sexist public statements and the ultimatum’s disproportionate impact on female employees” showed plaintiff Sydney Frederick-Osborn’s claims in the X class action are legitimate.
- Judge Corley also ruled Frederick-Osborn showed she was “constructively discharged” from X, which is considered an adverse employment action.
- However, Judge Corley dismissed age-based discrimination claims, ruling Frederick-Osborn did not sufficiently prove age discrimination; Frederick-Osborn can amend the claim if desired.
X sexist, ageist work culture class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Sydney Frederick-Osborn filed a class action lawsuit against Twitter Inc. and X Corp.
- Why: Frederick-Osborn claims X terminated its female and older employees at a higher rate after Elon Musk took over the company in October 2022 and put policies in place to push them out of their jobs.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
(Jan. 15, 2024)
X Corp. — formerly known as Twitter Inc. — terminated its female and older employees who refused to agree to new working conditions designed to reduce their presence in the wake of Elon Musk acquiring the company in October 2022, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Sydney Frederick-Osborn’s class action lawsuit claims Musk immediately began laying off women and older workers at a high rate after taking over then-Twitter and allegedly made public comments about women that confirmed his new policies were intended to force women to leave.
“The mass termination of employees at Twitter impacted female employees to a much greater extent than male employees – and to a highly statistically significant degree,” the X class action states.
Frederick-Osborn wants to represent a nationwide class of former X workers who are women and lost their jobs as a result of “heightened and unreasonable demands” or age 50 or older who lost their job as a result of the “discriminatory policies.”
Frederick-Osborn also wants to represent a class of similarly situated California-based workers.
Musk, X made efforts to reduce number of women, older workers, class action lawsuit says
Frederick-Osborn argues that, after initially laying off female and older employees at a high rate in November 2022, X “persisted in its efforts to reduce the number of women and older workers from its ranks” by implementing policies “intended to force out women and older workers.”
New policies included expecting employees to work an “unreasonable” number of hours and that they would immediately be required to work out of physical offices, according to the X class action.
“Musk would certainly have known that these policy changes and expectations would have a disproportionate impact on women, as well as force older employees out of the company,” the X class action states.
Frederick-Osborn claims X violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.
The plaintiff is asking for X to reinstate terminated older and female employees who wish to return to their jobs, in addition to compensatory, punitive, and liquidated damages for herself and all class members.
In another case involving X, the company’s former Head of Global Information Technology and Information Security filed a complaint against X and Musk last month over claims they unlawfully fired him and refused to pay fees required to begin arbitration proceedings.
Have you been discriminated against by your employer on the basis of age or gender? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Shannon Liss-Riordan and Thomas Fowler of Lichten & Liss-Riordan PC.
The X class action lawsuit is Frederick-Osborn v. Twitter Inc., et al., Case No. 3:24-cv-00125, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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