Discrimination at Apple, Sindh Roots a Cause: Woman Moves US Court

A California State Court recently rejected Apple Inc’s request to “toss out” a lawsuit by a female engineer from India who has alleged that her two managers treated her to be subservient and discriminated against her.A report by Bloomberg identified one of the two managers to be from India and the other from Pakistan.Anita Nairani Schulze, in her lawsuit, reportedly alleged that she was forced to resign from her job as a technical engineer at Apple in 2019, after facing discriminatory treatment by her senior and direct managers for years.How Priya Ramani’s Win Paves Way to Stop Workplace HarassmentTHE ALLEGATIONSSchulze, as per Bloomberg, shared that the two managers consistently left her out of meetings, while inviting her male counterparts, criticised her, micromanaged her work, and deprived her of bonuses, despite positive performance evaluations and significant team contributions.She claimed that part of the reason for the discrimination meted out by her managers, was her Hindu ancestry in Pakistan’s Sindh region, which she said is “known for its technical acumen” and encouragement of “women to rise above their historically subservient gender roles”.WHAT DID APPLE INC SEEK?As per Bloomberg, Apple Inc requested the court to toss out the suit, arguing that her claims were not specific enough and were based on stereotypes.WHAT DID THE COURT SAY?Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Sunil R Kulkarni, according to Bloomberg, rejected Apple’s request. The Court did not rule on the merits of the case but stated that Schulze had adequately supported her legal claims.The judge, however, rejected Schulze’s request to represent a class of female employees at Apple Inc who, over the last four years, had reportedly been subjected to discrimination at work.ANOTHER SIMILAR CASEMeanwhile, Cisco Systems Inc is fighting a lawsuit brought on by California’s civil rights agency, alleging bias against Dalits.As per Bloomberg, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleged that two Indian employees of the company had discriminated against a Dalit co-worker. Cisco, on their part, rubbishing the allegations, stated that they had “zero tolerance for discrimination”.Cisco, however, sought a dismissal of the lawsuit on grounds that caste isn’t a protected category under US civil rights laws.(With inputs from Bloomberg)Can India Move Towards a ‘Civic Nationalism’ Sans Discrimination?

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Discrimination at Apple, Sindh Roots a Cause: Woman Moves US Court

A report by Bloomberg identified one of the two managers to be from India and the other from Pakistan.

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Topics: Apple inc Sindh gender bias