HomeWinBuzzer NewsSpotify Accused of Defamation, Equal Pay Violations, and Gender Discrimination

Spotify Accused of Defamation, Equal Pay Violations, and Gender Discrimination

A court case in New York accuses Spotify of breaking several major workers rights laws, something the company has denied.

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Equality has been in the spotlight in recent years, and companies are finally under scrutiny to ensure fairness across genders. It seems did not get the memo. The streaming giant is in legal bother over gender discrimination, defamation, and violation of equal pay violation.

That's quite a list of allegations for a company to face, although the company will have the chance to defend itself in court. Hong Perez, a former sales executive with Spotify, has filed a lawsuit against the company.

His case is filed with the New York Supreme Court. Perez accuses Spotify's U.S. sales chief Brian Berner of discriminating against her. She says Berner took only male employees to the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and 2017. Furthermore, Perez suggests these trips turned into “drug-fueled” parties.

Berner is also said to have taken male-only sales staff to Atlantic City. Additional accusations include the promotions of a male executive who had already been involved in a sexual harassment situation.

It's not only Berner facing scrutiny as Perez claims Spotify's chief legal officer actively discouraged diversity. Furthermore, male employees are reported to be receiving more than females in the same role.

Without Merit

Spotify says it will not comment on the specific case, although the company says Perez is lying. Also, the streaming service reiterates its stance on equality:

“At Spotify, we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at any level. While we cannot comment on the specific details of a pending litigation, these claims are without merit.”

Perez was fired from the company last year after being accused of breaking codes of conduct. She was accused of being involved in problems where Berner was said to be accepting free tickets to Madison Square Garden.

SourceNeowin
Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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