Advocates Testify About Service of PFAs
Carol Tracy, Executive Director of WLP, along with other victims' advocates, appeared before a Philadelphia City Council committee on May 7th to discuss the current system of serving protection from-abuse orders (PFAs). See copy of Carol Tracy's comments or go to copy of the law governing service of PFAs in Philadelphia. For more information, see coverage by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Federal Judge Rules Pittsburgh Clinic Buffer Zone Ordinance Constitutional
On February 22, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Pennsylvania issued a long-awaited ruling denying clinic protester Mary Kathryn
Brown’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the Pittsburgh Buffer
Zone Ordinance. In a published 69-page opinion in Brown v. City of
Pittsburgh, C.A. No. 06-0393 (W.D. Pa.), U.S. District Judge Nora Barry
Fischer upheld the constitutionality of the buffer zone ordinance and refused
to order the Pittsburgh police to stop enforcing the ordinance against Mary Brown.
In a separate opinion, Judge Fischer granted in part and denied in part the City’s
motion to dismiss (go to article).
WLP Files Title VII Sex Discrimination Brief on Behalf of "Hard
Hatted Women"
The Women's Law Project, together with co-counsel Legal Momentum, is representing
twenty-one organizations committed to equality for working women in the ongoing
appeal of Brian Prowel, former employee of Wise Business Forms in Butler
County in western Pennsylvania. Mr. Prowel was the victim of a years-long
barrage of severe sexual harassment that took the form of gender stereotyping--that
is, he was mercilessly harassed for failing to conform to stereotypical male
behavior and appearance. U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry of the
Western District of Pennsylvania granted summary judgment for Mr. Prowel's employer,
throwing out Mr. Prowel's Title VII sex discrimination claim on the ground that
this was really a case of sexual orientation discrimination, not sex discrimination,
and no law in Butler County, PA prohibits discrimination against gay people. In
an amicus brief filed on February 14,
2008 in Mr. Prowel's appeal to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Women's Law Project and Legal Momentum
argued that if the lower court's reasoning is adopted, working women who are
often the targets of sexual harassment that takes the form of gender stereotyping
will lose important legal protection under Title VII. Especially for women
in non-traditional employment such as the construction trades or firefighting
where sexual harassment is at epidemic levels and is often accompanied by slurs
about the victim's sexual orientation, the Prowel decision could mean the end
of meaningful protection against sex discrimination exactly where that protection
is needed the most. Employers must not be allowed to escape responsibility
for sex discrimination simply by hiding behind their anti-gay or anti-lesbian
prejudice. Joining on the brief were the International Association of Women
in Fire and Emergency Services, American Medical Women's Association, Chicago
Women in the Trades, Hard Hatted Women, National Association of Women Lawyers,
National Council of Jewish Women, and numerous other women's advocacy organizations.
Comprehensive Settlement of Title IX Lawsuit Against Slippery Rock University Approved by Court
Pittsburgh, PA -- On August 8, 2007,
U.S. Chief District Judge Donetta Ambrose approved the class action settlement
of the Title IX lawsuit filed against Slippery Rock University. The settlement
is aimed at achieving gender equity in an athletic program that has short-changed
female athletes for decades (go to Findings
of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Consent
Order). See more information
Deciding Child Custody When There is Domestic Violence: A Benchbook for
Pennsylvania Courts
Jointly prepared and published by the Women’s Law Project and the Support
Center for Child Advocates, this Benchbook has been distributed to family law
judges throughout Pennsylvania to assist them in making custody decisions about
children in families where there is domestic violence. The
Benchbook highlights and summarizes... |
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