$5 million Executive
Severance Pay
$4 million Whistleblower
Retaliation
$1.5 million Retaliation
$1.2 million Whistleblower
Retaliation
$1.1 million Age
Discrimination
$1 million Gender
Discrimination

Gender Pay Inequity

Christopher P. Lenzo Mr. Lenzo has litigated several reported cases, some of which involved landmark decisions.
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Claudia A. Reis Ms. Reis has devoted her legal career to the practice of employment law.
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Many people like to think that gender inequality no longer exists in the United States; however, many working women understand that, despite all of the progress we have made as a country, those types of injustices happen every day. Indeed, pay inequality, which means that people are paid differently based on their sex (gender), is still a wide-reaching problem that is a particularly pronounced in New Jersey. To address this blatant and longstanding problem, the New Jersey Senate passed a law to eradicate such unlawful pay practices. Unfortunately, for New Jersey working women, Governor Christie conditionally vetoed that law on May 2, 2016.

While unequal pay based on gender is already against the law in New Jersey because it violates the Law Against Discrimination (LAD), the proposed bill S992 would have supplemented and strengthened the current law by addressing pay inequality in a variety of ways. For example, the law would have made it illegal to retaliate against employees who disclose information about their title, occupational category or compensation to a lawyer, governmental body or fellow employee. The proposed bill also made it illegal to require employees to waive their right to make such disclosures as a condition of being hired or continued employment. If passed, the law would have also provided for triple damages for successful unequal pay claims. Perhaps most importantly, the proposed bill would have allowed employees who successfully pursued an unequal pay claim to potentially collect back wages beyond the current 2 year statute of limitations. It also required contractors working for the State of New Jersey to disclose demographic, title and compensation information of its employees to the New Jersey Labor Commissioner and Division of Civil Rights as well as to other employees upon request.

Gender pay inequity is a particularly troubling issue in New Jersey where women need to work for 50 years to earn what comparable men earn in 40 years according to a recent analysis by the National Women’s Law Center. Indeed, that analysis found that women earn $11,927 less per year than their male counterparts. But not all is lost because despite the Governor’s conditional veto, New Jersey’s working women can still pursue unequal pay claims under the Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex/gender.

If you or someone you knows is the victim of unequal pay, experienced discrimination lawyers like Lenzo & Reis, LLC can help. But don’t wait because the longer you wait to call to find out if you have a claim, the more you may lose in equal pay.

Client Reviews
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"Professional and Knowledgeable Attorney. At what was supposed to be the highest point in my career suddenly became the most harassing and lowest point of my career and I was passed over for a promotion. Not because the other person was more qualified than I was, but because I followed the law and did the right thing and the people I worked for did not like that. After researching several attorneys, my wife and I found Claudia, and the decision to retain her was the best decision we ever made. After explaining our case to Claudia, we found that she was not only extremely professional but a very caring human being. Throughout the entire process of our case, Claudia was there with us every step of the way. She explained every single proceeding that we had to go through and guided us, not only as a professional attorney in and out of court, but personally as a caring and understanding person. Because of her extensive working knowledge of employment and labor laws, Claudia was able to successfully resolve our case. My wife and I will always be extremely grateful for Claudia’s hard work and dedication, and we highly recommend Claudia Reis to anyone seeking an attorney who practices in employment and labor laws." John
★★★★★
"Professionalism, integrity, and determination. Outstanding representation! Chris Lenzo did an outstanding job in my employment discrimination case. He responded to my questions in a timely fashion, provided clear communication through each step of the process, and handled my case in an honest and straight forward manner. Chris’s expertise in employment law along with his hard work ensured justice would prevail in my case and got me the compensation I deserved. Likewise, Chris’s law firm staff was professional, courteous, organized, and effective. I highly recommend Chirs Lenzo’s firm to anyone with an employment legal matter in New Jersey or New York." Sofia
★★★★★
"Remarkable professional. I have worked with Ms. Reis and her firm for the past three years. During the consultation process, you will immediately experience her compassion as she offers suggestions and guides you through the difficult situation you are dealing with. Her attention to detail, timely follow up and candid manner ensured me that I was well-protected and represented. Ms. Reis always went above and beyond to protect me legally. She is a very strong and tough (when necessary) advocate for the individual she represents. Her support staff is equally diligent. I would recommend her without reservation." A.M.