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rights, even as a youngster," said her
father, Jim Grossman of Farmington
Hills. "She was a speed reader at the age
of 4, and was active in women's rights
issues while still in the sixth grade. Now,
it's a joy to watch her follow through
and do her thing."
Elizabeth attended Upland Hills
Elementary School in Oxford,
Cranbrook Kingswood High School in
Bloomfield Hills and the University of
Michigan's law school in Ann Arbor. As
a child, she marched with her mother in
Equal Rights Amendment rallies in
Detroit and Washington. Her mother,
Barbara Grossman of Franklin, later
went to law school and now specializes
in workers' compensation cases.
Elizabeth spent a lot of time in her
youth gathering petition signatures for
progressive causes. "I've always had an
opinion about everything," she says.
The family lived in Royal Oak and
Troy until the Grossmans got divorced.
Elizabeth majored in women's studies at
U-M before entering law school. During
the summer, she worked for the
National Abortion Rights Action League
and the Women's Rights Unit of the
American Civil Liberties Union.
"With her background, and her cur-
Grossman, 37, realizes she could be
earning much more in private law prac-
tice, "but I'd rather be doing this, help-
ing to solve society's problems," she says.
"Feeling like you're doing the right thing
100 percent of the time is great. I'm
always working on something that I
believe in. The law is a way of
uals and groups against small
achieving social change, and
mom-and-pop" companies
you can do it either from
and corporate giants like
inside the system or outside."
Morgan Stanley,
The EEOC office has 25
Woolworth's, TWA and Bell
employees in lower
Atlantic. Her EEOC office
Manhattan, including investi-
takes on about 50 cases a
gators and other lawyers.
year involving discrimination
Grossman praises their efforts
against workers for reasons of
on
the Morgan Stanley case
race, sex, age, national origin, Grossman
that required almost five years
religion or disability.
of work.
Grossman is acting regional attorney,
The commission, which evolved from
supervising 17 other EEOC attorneys in
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, seems to
the Manhattan office.
attract many tenacious lawyers like
She has handled dozens of cases, earn-
Grossman, who were apparently born to
ing a salary in the low six figures and
take on corporate America. "We take
making no commissions, regardless of
cases based on their merit, just like run-
the court's verdict in the case or the set-
ning a regular business," she explained.
dement. About 95 percent of the cases
"Some cases, of course, might have no
are settled without a trial, and Grossman merit at all — the employer did nothing
often is disappointed she can't plead the
wrong, and the case is dropped. But we
case in court.
prevail most of the time."
,,
"But I'm happy with the outcome,
"Elizabeth was smart, well rounded,
she says. "If a company is willing to set-
and was always interested in women's
tle, we don't push the law."
Workers' Champion
Ex-Detroiter goes after big business for EEOC.
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
S
eeking a job with an upscale
clothing company in New York,
a Jewish woman was offered the
position. Then she told them she would
have to leave early on Fridays, especially
during winter, to prepare for the Sabbath.
The job offer was withdrawn. The
woman sued for religious discrimination
and received $20,000 in a settlement.
The amount was a drop in the bucket
by Elizabeth Grossman's usual standards,
but she's just as proud of the woman's
victory as she is, for example, of the $54
million she helped 340 women win in a
settlement from the Morgan Stanley
securities firm in a sex-discrimination
case last July.
As a lawyer for the Federal Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission
in New York for 12 years, Grossman,
who grew up in the Detroit Jewish com-
munity, has battled on behalf of individ-
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