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Science 5 December 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5651, p. 1641
DOI: 10.1126/science.302.5651.1641d
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ScienceScope

More than 3000 women who worked at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California from 1997 until now will soon be getting checks in the mail. The lab recently settled a divisive class action suit--Jennings v. the University of California (UC) Regents--which combined five cases alleging discrimination against female employees. The $18 million settlement will give nearly $10 million to the women, with the remainder going to their attorneys.

"This is absolutely not an admission of guilt," says lab spokesperson Susan Houghton, who notes that the lab's attorney fees--$12 million and counting--drove the decision to settle. But she says that in the past year, lab officials have begun to revamp pay and evaluation policies. The action is the latest in a series of settlements that UC managers hope will quiet controversy surrounding lab management practices.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)