Sears Must Pay $1 Million in Sex Bias Suit

A federal jury in New Hampshire has awarded a woman $1 million in a sex discrimination lawsuit against Sears, Roebuck & Co. Jeanie Boisvert worked as a greeter and dispatcher at the Sears Auto Center in Manchester, N.H., for 14 years before she was laid off in February 1993 during a reorganization of the retailer’s auto departments. Boisvert’s lawyer, Michael McGrath, said she was supposed to have been considered for rehiring, but discovered in 1994 she would not be. Sears lawyers said the company had decided not to rehire anyone laid off during the reorganization of the company’s auto centers, but McGrath said a man who had been laid off at the same time was rehired. A jury deliberated more than four hours before awarding Boisvert $300,000 in compensatory damages, $700,000 in punitive damages and $18,500 in lost wages. Sears spokeswoman Paula Davis said the company plans to appeal. “Sears actively promotes a diverse work force,” she said from the company’s headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill.