From North Country to #MeToo: How the Eveleth Mines Class Action Paved the Way for Effectively Enforcing Sexual Harassment Laws

Join us for a discussion of the groundbreaking Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co., the employment discrimination class action lawsuit that served as the basis for the movie North Country. The attorneys for the plaintiffs will discuss class-action certification for sexually hostile work environment claims; how the individualized defenses were (mis)handled in the liability and damage phases of the case; and how the 8th Circuit decision reversing the inadequate damage awards recognized many helpful and now bedrock principles for harassment victims, including responsibility for plaintiffs' compensatory harms and limitations on discovery into victims' backgrounds. The panelists will also discuss how the case encouraged acceptance of “me-too” testimony and played a role in recent laws exempting sex harassment from arbitration and NDAs.

This discussion will feature Jean Boler ’82, Of Counsel (retired), and Lawrence Schaefer ’88, Owner & President, Schaefer Halleen LLC, and Counsel for Plaintiffs, Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.