An ex-Disney employee who was once the temporary co-head of the Legal Affairs group for Disney Channel is now suing the company for violating the Equity Pay Act, among six other claims.
Legal Affairs Ex-Employee Files Lawsuit
This latest lawsuit was first reported by Deadline. The suit is being filed by Alisa Clairet, an ex-employee who spent 20 years working for The Walt Disney Company and was once the temporary co-head of the Legal Affairs group for the Disney Channel. Clairet is being represented by Nathan M. Smith of Brown, Neri, Smith & Khan.
In her seven-claim filing sent on August 15, Claret accuses Disney of violating the Pay Equity Act in California, disparate treatment based on sex, retaliation in violation of the Golden State’s Pay Equity Act, wage penalties, retaliation in violation of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, failure to pay wages due to discharged employees, and violations of California’s Unfair Competition Act.
Pay Equity Act Lawsuit
A section of her lengthy lawsuit states:
From the beginning of her career with the Disney Channel at The Walt Disney Company in May 2005 through the end of her career at Disney in October 2024, Alisa Clairet was paid substantially less than her male counterpart – another lawyer with the same experience, qualifications and job duties as Ms. Clairet in the same legal affairs department.
Not only was she paid less, she consistently did more work and had more responsibilities than her male counterpart.
Deadline
The reportedly 12-page document goes on to add, “When Ms. Clairet brought this inequality to Disney’s attention she was ignored.”
Disney Accused of Discriminatory Practices
Adding additional complexity to the case is that Clairet was fired from her position on September 24, 2024, in what was called a cost-cutting move. However, the lawsuit notes that her “male counterpart kept his job” and that “if the reasons for the layoffs were due cost-cutting, and efficiencies as Ms. Clairet was explicitly told, then the higher paid and less effective male Principal Counsel should have been selected.” The behavior of firing Clairet is called a “glaring example of Disney’s discriminatory pay policies and practices.”
According to Deadline, Clairet is not just looking for the usual damages in her case:
In what may be a poison pill for Disney, Clairet’s jury trial seeking filing is not only looking for a plethora of damages, but “backpay, reinstatement, or front pay in lieu of reinstatement.”
Deadline
Disney has reportedly not responded to Deadline’s request for comment.
Earlier this summer, Disney reached a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit after claims an employee was fired because of his age and Armenian heritage. Disney also recently reached a mutual settlement with actress Gina Carano regarding her firing from The Mandalorian, saying “we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
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