Morgan Stanley Focus of EEOC Bias Probe

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. is under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for discriminating against four black female employees, a federal judge revealed in an opinion. In a decision ordering the New York-based investment house to comply with EEOC subpoenas, U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch said the agency is probing whether the firm discriminated against a black analyst, Dawn Simmons, as well as three other black women who worked in Morgan Stanley’s sales and operations departments. Morgan Stanley is already battling charges that it discriminated against Allison Schieffelin, a convertible bond saleswoman who alleged she was denied promotion to a senior post because of her gender. The EEOC in June said it had found evidence of a “pattern and practice of discrimination” against Schieffelin and other women at the firm. Schieffelin is suing Morgan Stanley for $200 million. A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman did not have an immediate comment on the EEOC investigation.