Apple hit with sex discrimination lawsuit

A former employee of Apple Computer has slapped the computer manufacturer with a lawsuit alleging sexual and racial discrimination.

The complaint was filed on 16 May and alleges that Shaune Patterson, a former Apple human resources compensation consultant, was suspended for one month and then wrongfully dismissed from her position after she complained that her white counterparts, who were junior to her, were making higher salaries than she was.

Patterson alleges that the suspension came one day after she complained of racial discrimination.

She then amended her complaint to include claims of discrimination against sexual orientation and genetic characteristics.

Prior to her one-month suspension, Patterson alleges that one of Apple's managers wrote a memo describing her as a "rather obese-sized black lesbian".

Waukeen McCoy, of legal firm McCoy & Associates, which is acting for Patterson, stated: "Apple discounted my client's achievements, choosing to base the decision to discipline not on her performance, but rather on her size, race and sexual orientation."

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, is described by McCoy as "maybe one of the largest discrimination lawsuits filed against Apple Computer by a lesbian".