Class Action: The Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law

By Clara Bingham

Book Overview

The true story of Lois Jenson, a petite single mother, who was among the first women hired by a northern Minnesota iron mine in 1975. In this brutal workplace, female miners were relentlessly threatened with pornographic graffiti, denigrating language, stalking, and physical assaults. Terrified of losing their jobs, the women kept their problems largely to themselves--until Lois, devastated by the abuse, found the courage to file a complaint against the company in 1984. Despite all of the obstacles the legal system threw at them, Lois and her fellow plaintiffs enlisted the aid of a dedicated team of lawyers and ultimately prevailed. Weaving personal stories with legal drama, Class Action shows how these terrifically brave women made history, although not without enormous personal cost. Told at a thriller's pace, this is the story of how one woman pioneered and won the first sexual harassment class action suit in the United States, a legal milestone that immeasurably improved working conditions for American women.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385496133
• ISBN13: 9780385496131
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Iron determination

Like some other reviewers I came across this book after seeing the movie North Country. The movie though is just good entertainment pulling at the heartstrings and very loosely based on the legal problems of single mother Lois Jenson. The book, I'm pleased to say, is much more gripping and will keep you turning the pages until the end. I thought it raised various issues like: *Why did the legal aspects of this case take from 1984 until a settlement in 1998? In 1997 a judgement from the Eighth Circuit court commented on the 'inordinate delay' and that it simply was not possible for the parties to get justice 'when a final outcome is issued more than ten years' after the case was filed and more than fifteen years since Lois started her class action. *Why did the mineworkers union maintain such a male chauvinist view towards its female members? I always assumed that Minnesota folk, historically populated by hard working European immigrants in a hostile physical environment would have been much more sympathetic to the sexual harassment that went on year after year in the mines. In fact very few males come out of this story with much credibility, from the mine management down to the union, they are really shown to be sexist and ultra conservative when females start to (legally) work in their domain. *Why did it take so long for the mines main insurance company, who were going to be the ultimate payers of any compensation, to get to grips with the case? When they did get closely involved in 1998 the problems seemed to evaporate and the ladies got their money The authors write in a simple straightforward style fortunately avoiding flowery generalisations that seem a staple of non-fiction writing. The story unfolds in a logically time frame from March 1975 to the final financial settlement in November 1998. Early on there is an excellent historical overview of the Mesabi Range and the importance of the raw materials lying just under the surface. A nice touch I thought was the frequent explanations of points of law and how these affected the progress of the case. A couple of points occurred to me as a read the book: I would have liked to see a listing at the start describing the principals, frequently a name popped up and I wondered who the person was having seen a mention maybe a hundred pages earlier. So much of the story describes the mine and other buildings, a simple diagram of the plant layout would have been helpful. 'Class Action' is a powerful narrative about a hostile working environment and the legal system and it reminds of a quote by Thomas Noon Talfourd: Fill the seats of justice With good men not so absolute in goodness As to forget what human frailty is. BTW. I wanted to see photos of the four heroes of the book, the wonderful Lois Jenson and her legal team Paul Sprenger, Jane Lang and Jean Boler and I found them all through Google Images.

Class Action. Review from a reader

This is a must read for anyone considering a civil suit. Unlike the other reviewers, I did not feel this book glorified the lawyers. On the contrary, Bingham and Gangsler went further than any other writer by exposing the cost of litigation - the abuse and exploitation of injured litigants by lawyers and judges who make their living off our courts. Lori Jenson is the only heroine in this story. Through the authors I felt her pain and realized her sacrifice for all of us. But, the screenwriters of North Country made a mistake by concentrating on the sexual harassment part of this story in their version of this book. It is as if they did not read past the first few chapters. The screen writers either missed the message or underestimated the fears of litigants in the over 100 million cases filed each year in American courts. The wider scope of injustice, the legal and judicial wrongs exposed in this book, would have made a better story. But, even if you appreciated the movie, North Country, you need to read this story. The truths it reveals about America's justice system demands that Class Action be a part of everyone's personal library.

Difficult Topic handled humanely and fascinating

I could not put this book down. From the horrific working conditions of the women, the lack of respect from the unions and utter denial of management each page makes you madder than the next. Then pile on top of it the lengthy courtroom battle, a truly evil judge (almost someone from Dickens) and a trial as horrific as the abuse itself you just root for Lois all through the book. It also exceeds your expectations because it also shows how women can be each other's "worst enemy" in the workforce. Working against one another instead of supporting each other. The other women are victims but also vitimizers of Lois for taking a stand. Lois' story shows how being a whistleblower can ruin your whole life. Financially, emotionally and healthwise. Doing the right thing for the future but ruining your own life is truly something that only martyrs do. Everyone who makes a difference in this world pays some kind of price for it. That is surely shown in this story. I highly recommend!

A 15 YR LAWSUIT WITH CONTINUAL TENSION

CAUTION: if you are a fingernail biter, read this book with your gloves on as the contents may cause you "finger" problems. This book reveals employee conduct that is unbelievable, yet true. The authors present a complex case with simplicity that should keep you reading through the night. I read this aloud to my wife and she loved it. There are more twists and turns in this story than any body of fiction. Read it.

One of the best books I have ever read

Class Action is one of the best books I have ever read. I simply could not put it down once I started reading it. The story, itself, is gripping. If this were a work of fiction, it would stretch the imagination to believe that such things could happen. The fact that this is a true story just stuns the reader to the depth of the soul. But, beyond the nature of the story, is the excellent writing. It is as engrossing as the best novel - cohesive, fast paced & intelligble. There is just enough legal background and explanation given to make the events understandable to the lay person without making the book a lesson in Civil Procedure. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Thank you to the authors for bringing this story to the public in such an empathetic and understandable way, and to the women of the story who changed the lives of all human beings for the better.