Jones Day Women Can’t Remain Anonymous During Bias Probe (1)

Jones Day may disclose the identities of female lawyers suing the firm for alleged sex discrimination, but the disclosure must be limited to its investigation of their allegations and the firm’s preparation of its initial response to the lawsuit, a federal judge ruled May 30.

The unnamed plaintiffs have argued that they could be branded with a “scarlet letter” and blacklisted from other major law firms if their identities were disclosed. Jones Day has countered that granting anonymity in and of itself “impugns” the firm’s reputation by suggesting it would improperly retaliate against the women, and that the sort of ...