Pernod Wins Dismissal in Employee’s Race Discrimination Case

A Black former employee’s case against liquor company Pernod Ricard USA won’t go to trial due to lack of direct evidence of discrimination based on race, a federal judge decided.

Michele James sued Pernod alleging that it passed her up for promotion to a director position. She sued under the New York City Human Rights Law, claiming that the company’s decision to hire someone else instead of promoting her was racially motivated.

She cited a conversation between her and the hiring manager in which the latter said they couldn’t see her in the director position.

Pernod argued that it hadn’t ...