Feb 22
As it appeared on Impact Fund
SAN FRANCISCO, 02.22.19 – CIVIL RIGHTS CLASS ACTION HEROES HONORED – IMPACT FUND CLASS ACTION HALL OF FAME: 2019 INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED
Three civil rights heroes are today being inducted into the Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame — lead plaintiffs whose commitment and determination has led to significant advances in economic, environmental, racial and social justice.
Impact Fund Executive Director Jocelyn Larkin said: “Heroes walk among us, people who have extraordinary super powers. They put their lives and livelihoods on hold to advocate for their brothers and sisters who have been denied a voice and marginalized by the privileged and the powerful. Today we honor three such heroes and recognize them for their bravery and endurance in the face of overwhelming odds.”
The 2019 inductees are:
Lance Slaughter
Lance challenged racial discrimination at a major bank.
African American Financial Advisors like him were denied business opportunities, excluded from favorable teams, deprived of lucrative account distributions, and assigned less-lucrative territories, among other things, because of their race.
He put his business, reputation, and career at risk with the lawsuit and worked tirelessly to obtain an impressive settlement.
Guillermo Benitez
Guillermo challenged a dairy over its shocking treatment of laborers like himself.
His home was destroyed as the dairy attempted to hide that it was housing workers in tractor barns. He was kicked out of his housing with less than 24 hours’ notice and stuck with the case when many would have given up.
He challenged this blatant retaliation and won. His courage and determination are an inspiration for low-wage workers.
Kerrie Campbell
Kerrie championed equal pay for female attorneys employed by an international law firm.
She suffered a retaliatory firing but would not be silenced, traveling to Stanford and Harvard to make her case and speaking to national news outlets throughout her two-year ordeal.
“Our honorees have endured years of uncertainty, court appearances, and stress, not just for themselves, but for the thousands like them who have waited for champions, ready to take on powerful big business,” said Michael Caesar, former Chair of the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee, which selected the inductees.
The Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame was conceived in 2016 as a way to acknowledge the exceptional courage and sacrifice of lead plaintiffs in civil rights class actions. The Impact Fund, which serves as a support center for civil rights class action litigation, took the lead in bringing the face of class action litigation to the fore.
“The stories of these heroes demonstrate that courts matter and are an essential part of our democracy,” concluded Larkin.
Posted by KCampbell-Law, PLLC in In The News.
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