Get 40% Off
🔥 This hedge fund gained 26.16% in the last month. Get their top stocks with our free stock ideas tool.See stock ideas

Twitter beats two lawsuits stemming from mass layoffs, for now

Published 05/08/2023, 12:14 PM
Updated 05/08/2023, 07:56 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed Twitter logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TWTR
-

By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) -A California federal judge on Monday dismissed a proposed class action accusing Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) of targeting female employees for layoffs after Elon Musk acquired the company last year, but said plaintiffs would be allowed to amend the lawsuit to add more details.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Oakland said the lawsuit filed in December was "devoid of basic information," such as the plaintiffs' positions with Twitter and the identity of managers who decided which workers would be laid off.

Tigar also said that allegedly sexist remarks made by Musk and cited by the plaintiffs were irrelevant because they came long before he acquired Twitter for $44 billion last year.

The decision came after a different judge in the same court on Friday dismissed a separate lawsuit accusing Twitter of discriminating against workers with disabilities by requiring employees to report to the office and put in long hours working at high intensity after the layoffs in November.

Both judges gave the plaintiffs three weeks to file amended lawsuits further detailing their claims.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in both cases, said that she planned to file a revised complaint in each lawsuit adding new facts.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The plaintiffs in the sex discrimination lawsuit say that Twitter laid off 57% of its female workers compared to 47% of men after Musk took over. The disparity was more stark for engineering roles, where 63% of women lost their jobs compared to 48% of men, according to the lawsuit.

3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or remove ads .

The disability bias case was filed in November by a former engineering manager and cancer survivor who claims that Twitter fired him when he refused to stop working remotely. Musk said in a memo to staff in November that employees should be prepared to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit.

The lawsuits are among several Twitter is facing stemming from Musk's decision to lay off about half of the company's workforce.

Twitter has denied wrongdoing in those cases, including ones claiming that the company failed to pay promised severance.

Liss-Riordan also represents nearly 2,000 former Twitter employees who have filed legal claims against the company in arbitration.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.