Editorial
Gender bias suit is a major wake-up call

Since there are appeals still to come, we haven't heard the last of the case in which two women successfully sued the state for sexual discrimination.

But before the state puts too much of its resources into an appeal, it should put a fair amount of time and money into understanding why such discrimination may have happened and how to make sure it does not happen again.

Surely, if the state believes it is right, it has an obligation to the taxpayers to appeal this case. But while it is pursuing its legal options, it should devote time and energy on the causes and cures for gender discrimination. Simply falling back on legalistic denial does little good for anyone.

In this case, four women sued the Department of Public Safety over a variety of charges related to gender discrimination. The jury awarded $2 million in damages to two women, deadlocked in a third case and refused to award damages in the last.

This suggests that the facts in these cases are murky and not that easy to sort out. Still, ambiguity is no excuse for denial.

In this day and age, no woman should suffer discrimination or harassment on the basis of her gender.

While the appeals go forward, the public (along with all current and future state employees) deserves a clear signal that those in charge will not tolerate discrimination, nor will they let it happen again.