Credit Suisse ordered to pay more than 900,000 euros to a former employee for discrimination linked to pregnancy

His fight has lasted for almost ten years. Credit Suisse was finally ordered this Tuesday to pay 910,000 euros in damages to a former trader who had seen her promotion and increase in her remuneration interrupted following the announcement of her pregnancy, according to a ruling from the Paris Court of Appeal consulted by AFP.

In detail, Credit Suisse is ordered to pay “900,000 euros in damages for economic loss due to the discrimination”, and 10,000 euros “in damages for moral damage”.

The complainant, hired by Credit Suisse in 2009 at the rank of “vice president” within the French branch of Credit Suisse in the United Kingdom, considered having been the victim of discrimination “because of her sex, her maternity and her status as a mother”.

Before the courts, she invoked around ten facts to support her allegation, including “structural sexual discrimination within the company” and the “sudden elimination of her variable remuneration concomitant with her pregnancy”.

In its decision, the Paris Court of Appeal agreed with him on all the facts cited. The judgment indicates in particular that the documents provided by the complainant “materially establish” “structural sexual discrimination within the company”.

Promotion swept away

Three years after her arrival, in 2012, the complainant asked to be promoted to the rank of “director”. Two years later, she announced her pregnancy in September 2014. The bank never responded to her request for promotion. After several periods of leave linked to her maternity, the employee ended up signing a mutually agreed termination in June 2016.

At first instance, in 2019, the Paris industrial tribunal recognized the existence of discrimination based on the sex and maternity of the former employee and ordered Credit Suisse to pay 150,000 euros in compensation for the damage.

The former trader appealed, considering that the sum was too low in relation to the remuneration and bonuses she could have received.

The court of appeal did not recognize the discrimination, dismissing the former employee’s request. But this decision was overturned in November 2024 by the Court of Cassation which referred the case to the court of appeal.

Facing difficulties, Credit Suisse has since been bought by its main competitor, UBS. The decision is not final, Credit Suisse may again appeal to the Court of Cassation.