Benzinga | Aug 12, 2020 04:25AM EDT

Pinterest Sued By Former COO On Allegations Of Gender Discrimination

Former Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) Chief Operating Officer Fran?oise Brougher filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the San Francisco Superior Court alleging sex-based mistreatment, according to the New York Times.

What Happened

Brougher alleged that she had been left out of meetings, was given gender-driven feedback, and was paid less than her male colleagues.

"Gender discrimination at the C-level suite may be a little more subtle, but it's very insidious and real," Brougher told the Times. "When men speak out, they get rewarded. When women speak out, they get fired."

The social media company said it was looking into the lawsuit. A company spokesperson said Pinterest was conducting an independent review of its culture, policies, and practices.

Why It Matters

Pinterest has a large female audience and is worth $21 billion, the Times noted.

Two Pinterest employees, Aerica Shimizu Banks and Ifeoma Ozoma, quit the San Francisco-based virtual pinboard company in June, lamenting on social media about racist and sexist comments, as well as the reprisals they faced at the firm.

There have been a string of sexual harassment complaints at large corporates this year.

In June, a shareholder of L Brands Inc (NYSE:LB) subsidiary Victoria Secret alleged that a culture of sexual harassment existed at the company.

Earlier in the year McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD) faced a $500 million lawsuit that alleged widespread sexual harassment at the company-owned stores in Florida.

Price Action

Pinterest shares traded 0.15% higher at $34.45 in the pre-market session Tuesday.

Photo by Morning Brew on Unsplash