WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a Maryland woman’s claim that Northrop Grumman did not consider her for three job promotions because of her gender.
Karin Skold Van Slyke wanted the high court to rule that the Northrop, a defense electronics maker, illegally ignored her requests to be promoted and instead advanced three less-qualified men into upper management jobs at its Baltimore operation.
The court, without comment, let stand lower court rulings in favor of Northrop.
Van Slyke started working as an engineer for Northrop’s predecessor, Westinghouse Electric, in 1978. By 2000, she had reached the second-highest management tier available to engineers — eventually earning $73,400 — but could not rise to the company’s top rank, court documents showed.
Although Van Slyke repeatedly told supervisors she wanted to be placed in a top slot and was assured that she was qualified for advancement, she was not interviewed for higher jobs and was passed over for three promotions that went to men in 1997 and 1998.
She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in December 1997 and sued Northrop the following August.
Northrop conceded in court documents that Van Slyke would be capable of filling other leadership positions at the top level. But it argued that Van Slyke did not seek the jobs in question. It also said supervisors were aware of Van Slyke’s skills, even if they did not interview her for the posts, and said the male candidates were more qualified for the jobs available.
The three men “received (the) positions because, unlike Van Slyke, they demonstrated the management ability and superior performance necessary for achieving a management code in their respective jobs,” Northrop’s attorney wrote in response to Van Slyke’s Supreme Court petition.
The U.S. District Court in Baltimore ruled in September 2000 that Northrop did not discriminate when it hired the three men over Van Slyke.
The district court rejected statistics Van Slyke offered to boost her claim. She said the fact that she was the only woman on a staff of 30 and that only one of 26 departments in her division was headed by a woman was evidence of gender discrimination at Northrop.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling in August, leading to Monday’s failed petition by Van Slyke.