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Class Action:  The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law
 
 
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Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law (Hardcover)

by Clara Bingham (Author), Laura Leedy Gansler (Author) "It snowed all day and night on Sunday..." (more)
Key Phrases: certification hearing, pellet plant, union oath, Eveleth Mines, Oglebay Norton, Iron Range (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In 1997, in reversing a lower court decision, federal appellate Judge Donald Lay wrote in a sexual-harassment class-action lawsuit, Jenson v. Eveleth, "The emotional harm, brought about by this record of human indecency, sought to destroy the human psyche as well as the human spirit.... The humiliation and degradation suffered by these women is irreparable." Journalist Bingham's (Women on the Hill: Challenging the Culture of Congress) and attorney Gansler's deeply felt and disturbing narrative is the story of what informed Judge Lay's decision. In 1975, Lois Jenson became one of the first women to work in the iron mines of Minnesota and the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Eveleth Mines was Jenson's employer. The center of the story is the 25-year ordeal Jenson and other women miners underwent: the harshness and callousness of the abuse directed at the women in the uncivilized and misogynist atmosphere of the mine will outrage readers. The equally brutal treatment class members received in the civilized venue of the federal court system, especially by the lawyers for Eveleth, will shock them. The matter-of-fact description of Eveleth's lawyers' assault on Jenson's character during a deposition that inquired about the most intimate details of her life has tremendous immediacy. Because of the personal price the plaintiffs pay, and despite the success of the litigation, this account falls somewhere between a cautionary tale about the dangers facing those who challenge entrenched institutions and a bittersweet celebration of the ultimate effectiveness of the justice system.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A collaboration between a journalist and a lawyer, this volume describes in elaborate detail the tortuous path of the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit, Jenson v. Eveleth Mines. In 1975, the Minnesota mine hired its first four women as the result of a consent decree; Lois Jenson took one of the jobs. Subjected to disgusting and relentless sexual harassment, Jenson went in turn to the company, the union, the state department of human rights, and finally, in 1988, to private counsel. With Title VII expert Paul Sprenger at the helm, the case took another 11 years, as the company's attorneys waged an intense "nuts and sluts" defense, a strategy that cost the mine $15 million. Although ultimately vindicated, the complainants suffered not only from harassment but from the brutalizing process of the litigation. Jenson herself became disabled by stress from the harassment, the hostility of female co-workers, the length of the legal process, and the invasive interrogations connected with the claim for damages. Excessive detail, compelling though it is, diminishes the book's utility. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. Cynthia Harrison, George Washington Univ., Washington, DC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (June 18, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385496125
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385496124
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #962,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #78 in  Books > Nonfiction > Law > Perspectives on Law > Gender & the Law
    #78 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Perspectives on Law > Gender & the Law

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
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 (4)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult Topic handled humanely and fascinating, August 23, 2005
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!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A 15 YR LAWSUIT WITH CONTINUAL TENSION, June 13, 2003
By Brady Buchanan (Henderson, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Class Action. Review from a reader, April 17, 2006
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexual Harassment and Male Privilege
Throughout my college career, I have become more and more aware of America's history in regards to inequality. Read more
Published 15 months ago by F. Zimmerman

4.0 out of 5 stars better book than movie
The book is so much better than the movie. It gives you a much truer sense of what the women went through. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mara Zonderman

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real "North Country"
I assume that you will have seen the Movie first. I would have never heard of this book, without references in the DVD. BUT it is not necessary that you see the movie first. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bob Chorba

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
I grew up on "da range" and I'm familiar with the mines. My hometown is Hoyt Lakes, not very far from Eveleth. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Margaret Carr

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published on August 27, 2006 by Robin Benson

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
A story of great courage and resolve, of working conditions beyond the pale, and the vicissitudes of the courts. Read more
Published on May 28, 2006 by Mary V. Seavey

5.0 out of 5 stars Class Action
This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. This is something our school kids should be required to read as well. Read more
Published on May 9, 2006 by Mary Jankins

4.0 out of 5 stars You'll be Shocked and Angered
This book was such a smart & compelling read. I finished it very fast & I'm normally a slow reader. I had to find out if these ladies got justice. Read more
Published on March 20, 2006 by Book Club Member

4.0 out of 5 stars Class Action
I really enjoyed the book. Being from the "Range" and previouly working in the mines, I felt like I was back there again. Read more
Published on March 9, 2006 by G. Nehring

5.0 out of 5 stars THE NECESSARY BOOK
This book should be recommended reading to those taking sexual harassment orientation upon starting a new job. Read more
Published on February 26, 2006 by R. B. Hendricksen

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