A handful of women - three of whom once worked as sales reps for the drugmaker and two who still do - are seething over subpoenas Sanofi-Aventis lawyers sent their new employers, and even prospective employers, seeking a raft of employment info in hopes of intimidating them into withdrawing their sexual discrimination lawsuit.
The info sought includes resumes, applications, benefit data, payroll records, and references, among other things. In a motion filed in federal court in New York, the reps claim the move by the drugmaker is a fishing expedition and an invasion of personal rights that is irrelevant to the discrimation claims made and, instead, is designed to harass, embarrass and frighten.
"Such interference by Sanofi-Aventis is particularly damaging in the tight-knit and cohesive pharmaceutical industry in which the plaintiffs are still employed, because it is probable that current employers will treat plaintiffs less favorably if the current employers are placed in the middle of a conflict regarding plaintiffs’ claims against another pharmaceutical company," their laywers write. Here is the motion.
The lawsuit was filed last year by Jennifer Storm, who nows work for Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Michelle Popa, who is employed by Baxter Healthcare; Amy Zeoli, who is with Boston Scientific; and two existing Sanofi reps, Nancy Beaney and Karen Bellifemine, both of whom have applied for jobs at Innovex and CV Therapeutics, respectively, according to court documents.
