U.S. employees of a German investment bank filed a $1.4 billion (€1.16 billion) discrimination lawsuit Monday, portraying the company as a sexist playland where women were hired as "eye candy" and one was referred to as "the Pamela Anderson of trading."
The lawsuit accused Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein Securities LLC of letting inappropriate and offensive behavior flourish at the U.S. wing of Dresdner Bank, which provides a full range of capital markets and advisory services for clients. It is owned by Allianz AG.
It also said the company prevents advancement and fair treatment, and maintains a corporate culture that excludes and demeans women.
The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan offered a slew of statistics to back up the claims - noting, for instance, that only 1.6 percent of women in the company's Capital Markets Division are managing directors. In contrast, 15 percent of men employed by that division hold that position. . . .
[T]he plaintiffs alleged that the company condoned intimate relationships between its top executives and their female subordinates and cited the example of a married former chief executive officer who openly dated his personal assistant, with whom he had a child.
Details here from the AP via FindLaw.com.