After five years of sparring, Allergan has agreed to pay $4 million to settle claims by several former female sales reps who accused the company of a wide variety of discriminatory practices. These included inequitable pay and promotions, harassment, and hostility toward pregnant employees.
The proposed settlement, which must still be approved by a federal court judge, is the latest in a string of agreements to resolve such accusations against several drug makers over the past decade. In each case, female employees described egregious and gratuitous conduct that allegedly permeated the companies.
The lawsuits emerged following a protracted stretch in which the pharmaceutical industry shed tens of thousands of jobs — especially among sales reps. The cost-cutting maneuvers may have also been pursued in ways that left the companies open to discrimination charges.
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