SEATTLE — A former Microsoft employee’s lawsuit alleging discrimination has moved to federal court after a King County judge dismissed one of several claims.
Nancy Williams, a 54-year-old Hispanic woman, worked for Microsoft for nearly 20 years. Most recently, she was working for Microsoft Azure, the company’s cloud computing platform.
In the lawsuit, Williams said one of her supervisors intimidated her, sometimes in closed-door settings.
In mid-December, a King County judge dismissed the claim that Microsoft as a company helped others violate discrimination laws.
A representative of Microsoft said that as a result, the lawsuit has shifted focus away from being mainly about gender discrimination. He said it is now more about an instance of preferential treatment based on other reasons.
But Williams’ attorney, Colleen Kinerk, disagrees.
Kinerk said there are remaining claims of “differential treatment, for hostile work environment, for harassment and for retaliation.”
In a disagreement with the supervisor, Williams claims in the lawsuit that he “approached Williams, who was seated, and stood over her in very close proximity. He proceeded to physically menace and emotionally abuse her. [He] required Williams to repeat the following sentence multiple times: ‘You are my manager, I will do as you say.’”
In another instance, he is accused of telling Williams that “his wife was to be admired because she was a stay-at-home mother who took care of their children and prioritized her family. [He] also made open reference to his religious beliefs and alluded to them as influencing his view of Williams as being inferior to her male coworkers.”
Microsoft gave KIRO 7 this statement on Friday:
"We take these claims seriously. Some of the case has already been dismissed by the judge, and we will address the rest with the Courtcourt."
On the topic of the company’s general efforts for diversity, Microsoft said: “Microsoft has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, including attracting, recruiting and retaining diverse talent in the tech space. We believe that diversity enriches our performance and products, the communities where we live and work, and the lives of our employees.”
Another spokesperson for Microsoft familiar with the company's diversity policies told KIRO 7 that the company has programs like the Women’s and Minority Career Framework and the Wired for Success series for women and minorities.
Kinerk said, however, that she believes that more women are experiencing problems in the company. After news of Williams’ initial lawsuit filing in August, Kinerk said she received many calls from current and former female Microsoft employees who complained of similar negative treatment.
KIRO 7 spoke to Jean Jacoby, associate dean of Seattle University’s College of Science and Engineering, about broader issues of women in the technology field.
Jacoby said progress has been made in bringing women into traditionally male-dominated workplaces.
“There is more sensitivity, and I’m glad for that,” Jacoby said. “But it is disappointing that these issues still arise.”
Jacoby advises her female students to make sure they seek out mentors in the company. She said the biggest challenge for women in the tech industry is persevering in spite of any problems with discrimination.