RPJ’s Alice K. Jump Weighs in on SHRM’s $11.5M Discrimination Verdict in Article for Business Insider

In a recent article for Business Insider, RPJ’s Alice K. Jump comments on the $11.5 million verdict issued against the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). On December 5th, a federal jury found SHRM liable for racially discriminating against and retaliating against former employee Rehab Mohamed, awarding her $1.5 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages after a five-day trial. The case centered on Mohamed’s claims that she was targeted by a supervisor and later faced retaliation after reporting her concerns to SHRM leadership, including its CEO and head of HR.

Ms. Jump underscores how damaging the verdict is for SHRM’s public image, noting that “the optics are bad because they’ve held themselves out as an authority on best [HR] practices.” The judge permitted evidence of SHRM’s expertise to be presented at trial – which may have led the jury holding the organization to a higher standard when charged with mishandling discrimination complaints.

Read the full article here.

This article is intended as a general discussion of these issues only and is not to be considered legal advice or relied upon. For more information, please contact RPJ Partner Alice K. Jump who counsels clients on litigation, alternative dispute resolution and business counseling, with particular emphasis on representing clients in the financial services and real estate industries as well as educational and non-profit institutions. Ms. Jump is admitted to practice law in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.