Business & Professional
CHAMPION from page 35
nancy and maternity leaves.
In the high-profile, sex-bias lawsuit
against Morgan Stanley, the company
made the $54 million settlement rather
than risk letting a jury decide if it dis-
criminated against its female employees
by paying them less than men and pass-
ing them over for promotions. It was the
second largest gender-related settlement
ever, and largest with a Wall Street firm.
Despite the settlement, Morgan
Stanley denies all charges.
A Jewish woman, Allison K
Schieffelin, 42, of New York, a success-
ful bond saleswoman, was the lead
plaintiff in the case, getting $12 million
of the settlement. Among other things,
she testified she arranged a group dinner
with an important client at an exclusive
New York restaurant, only to be escorted
into a cab afterward while her male co-
workers took the client to a strip club.
"This case sent a message to employ-
ers everywhere that allegations of dis-
crimination need to be taken seriously,"
Grossman said after the settlement.
rent work at the EEOC, she has been .
offered partnerships in New York law
firms, but she's content to stay where she
is," says her father, who owns Pronto
Promotions and Advertising Specialties
in Southfield arid belongs to the Birm-
ingham Temple in Farmington Hills.
Elizabeth and her companion of 12
years, Brad Sewell, also a lawyer, have
children Benjamin and Elana and live in
Brooklyn. "Our family never was too
religious when I was young, but now we
celebrate all of the Jewish holidays and
traditions with our children," she says.
Because of Grossman's zeal and pas-
sion for her job, and her leadership in
the EEOC office, companies have made
extensive changes in their employment
practices and established diversity pro-
grams. As the result of one decision,
firms no longer can cap health care ben-
efits for workers with AIDS. Because of
another, workers at the Bell Atlantic Co.
can't be denied credit for retirement
benefits after taking off time for preg-
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Her work involving Wall Street firms
Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney also
resulted in sex-bias settlements with the
EEOC. "It's a persistent problem on
Wall Street," she said. "Women are
underrepresented in Wall Street's highest
paid, most prestigious jobs."
Bob Lippman, a Jericho, N.Y., lawyer
who separately represents plaintiffs in
many of Grossman's cases, says, "She's
always proud to achieve vindication for
employees in her cases against the big
companies."
"She has a real passion for her job,"
says Lippman. "She's not just a 9-5 per-
son like many other people in her type
of work. She works long hours, week-
ends, or whenever necessary to get the
job done — above and beyond the call
of duty, and always doing the right
thing."
Grossman also helped win cases, with
large settlements, for employees against
the former Trans World Airlines, the for-
mer F.W. Woolworth Co., and Del
Laboratories, Heisei Minerals, Gruntal
& Co., Lew Lieberbaum & Ca, the
Lutheran Medical Center, and National
Health Services, all New York firms.
She also filed a series of backlash law-
suits, the most recent against New York's
Playa Hotel and Newsweek, Inc., involv-
ing alleged discrimination and harass-
ment of Muslim employees after the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New
York. "The commission has a strong
commitment to fighting discrimination
against people who were treated differ-
ently after Sept. 11," she says.
Her EEOC office used to be in
Building 7, a smaller building next to
the World Trade Center towers. She saw
the shadow of the first plane before it hit
the first tower, heard the explosion and
saw the fireball. "I didn't wait for any
reaction or announcements as to what
we should do," she says. "I just told
everyone to evacuate as fast as possible."
Building 7 collapsed shortly afterward,
along with the two main towers, where
Morgan Stanley had offices and sadly
lost many personnel. ❑
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