Eli Lilly resolves lobbyist's sex discrimination lawsuit
(Reuters) — Eli Lilly & Co. has resolved a lawsuit filed in March by a former top lobbyist who accused a high-ranking executive and another senior manager of engaging in sexual discrimination, harassment and retaliation against women in its Washington office, according to a court filing Monday.
The suit, filed in federal court in Washington by in-house lobbyist Sonya Elling, alleged that a Lilly senior vice president, Leigh Ann Pusey, repeatedly demeaned Ms. Elling and other women, and eventually forced Elling to resign.
Ms. Pusey, senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, was one of CEO Dave Ricks’ first appointments upon taking the helm of the drugmaker in 2017.
Lilly previously has denied the allegations against Ms. Pusey. A Lilly spokesperson on Tuesday declined to comment. Ms. Pusey could not be reached.
As part of the resolution, Ms. Elling agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, according to a court filing Monday. The issues were not aired in court, and the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
“We've resolved things amicably,” Ms. Elling's attorney Lynne Bernabei told Reuters Tuesday.
The lawsuit came as other allegations of inappropriate or retaliatory actions by Lilly executives against employees surfaced.
In February, Lilly announced that the company's chief financial officer, Josh Smiley, resigned. Lilly said in a Feb. 9 securities filing that Mr. Smiley had engaged in “consensual though inappropriate personal communications” with employees. Mr. Smiley has declined to comment.
Reuters reported in March that a former Lilly human resources officer complained in a legal demand letter that she had been forced out of her job at a New Jersey factory after launching internal investigations alleging various manufacturing lapses.
