Class Action Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Eaton Corp

Two former sales engineers for Eaton Corp. (ETN) filed a $150 million class action discrimination lawsuit against the power management company and three of its male managers Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The two women allege that women are discriminated against in Eaton's Aerospace, Automotive, Electrical, Hydraulics and Truck engineering divisions, and add that "women are conspicuously absent from Eaton's leadership ranks."

The company, based in Cleveland, Ohio, had sales of $13.7 billion in 2010, according to the company's website.

Both women left the company in 2010, according to the lawsuit. As sales engineers, they sold Eaton's electrical distribution, generation and power quality equipment and engineering and support service to the company's customers, according to a press release on the lawsuit issued by their lawyers.

"Eaton has not yet reviewed or been served with the complaint. We do not generally comment on pending litigation," said Scott Schroeder, a spokesman for Eaton Corp.

However, he added, "Based on the information in the plaintiffs' law firm's news release, we feel the claims are totally without merit and we will vigorously defend the company against these allegations.

"Eaton is a values-based enterprise with a long-standing commitment to fair and equal treatment of our employees. At Eaton, we do not discriminate. Moreover, we embrace diversity and are inclusive in all of our business practices and within our work environments."

-By Terin Miller, Dow Jones Newswires; terin.miller@dowjones.com

Eaton (NYSE:ETN)
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