The status of a second federal gender discrimination lawsuit alleging a Bucks County school district hired male teachers with the same experience and education at higher salaries than females is unknown following a mistrial in the Central Bucks School District case.
Last year two Centennial School District teachers filed a collective action complaint in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania alleging the district violated the Equal Pay Act.
Earlier this year, though, a judge approved a request for a joint stay on proceedings in the case, pending a resolution in two Central Bucks School District cases filed in 2020 and 2021.
On Tuesday, a mistrial was declared in the Central Bucks cases after a jury failed to reach a verdict after more than two hours of deliberations in the six day trial in Philadelphia.
Here is a look at the Centennial cases, and how the Central Bucks cases could impact it.
The latest on Centennial Equal Pay suitCentennial teachers allege women were paid less, file suit for equal pay
How similar are the Centennial and Central Bucks Equal Pay Act lawsuits?
They are almost identical down to the attorneys and federal judge assigned to hear them.
Philadelphia attorney Edward Mazurek represents teachers Dawn Marinello and Rebecca Cartee-Haring in Central Bucks, and Centennial teachers Denise Kravitz and Lori Warren.
Central Bucks School District and Centennial are both represented by Michael Levin, panel counsel assigned through the respective district’s liability insurer.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Baylson is assigned to oversee the respective cases.
The lawsuits both allege the respective districts violated the Equal Pay Act by routinely hiring men at higher pay grades than those set by district policies, and higher than female teachers with equal experience and education.
Marinello’s lawsuit was certified as a collective action, which allowed more than 300 other CBSD female teachers employed between 2000 and 2023 to join as members.
The Cartee-Haring case, which made Equal Pay Act violations and other discrimination allegations, was tried at the same time as the larger Marinello case, but the jury was instructed to issue separate verdicts.
The Centennial lawsuit was filed as a collective action, but is not yet certified.
What does the Centennial equal pay lawsuit allege?
Kravitz and Warren allege they had previous teaching experience before coming to work in Centennial, but they both placed on the lowest rung on the salary schedule.
Kravitz alleges that she was a teacher for nine years in the Philadelphia School District and had her Master's degree when she was hired in 2002.
Warren alleges that she also had her Master’s degree and six years teaching experience in three school districts before Centennial hired her in 2002.
The women allege the district “manipulated” the factors under the salary schedule to pay them, and other women teachers “substantially less” than male teachers.
The lawsuit alleges “one or more” male teachers employed in Centennial did receive credit for their prior teaching experience when hired, resulting in higher compensation.
What has happened so far with the Centennial Equal Pay lawsuit?
Not much. The complaint was filed in March 2023. Earlier this year, both parties agreed to a joint stay on proceedings pending the resolution of the Marinello and Cartee-Haring cases.
In the motion for the stay, Levin and Mazurek agreed the case is still in the relatively early stage of precertification discovery.
The attorneys noted the legal issues the court has addressed with the Central Bucks School District cases are “the same or similar” to those at issue in the Centennial cases.
The similarities mean court rulings in the CBSD cases could result in a “substantial reduction in the expenses in the Centennial case and result in the more just and expeditious determination of this case,” the petition said.
Baylson suspended proceedings for 90 days in March; the next month he ordered the suspended status removed but kept the stay order in effect “pending further order of the court.”
Since a mistrial was declared in the Central Bucks cases, what happens with Centennial?
The impact of the mistrial on the Centennial cases was not immediately known.
Mazurek did not immediately respond to voice, email and text messages left Tuesday and Wednesday. Levin also did not immediately respond to an email requesting a status update Wednesday.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
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