Chadwick v. Wellpoint, Inc.: A Case Analysis

CHADWICK v. WELLPOINT, INC.

The facts of case concerning Chadwick v. Wellpoint, Inc. are as follows. Laurie Chadwick had seven years experience as a Recovery Specialist and an excellent rating of 4.40 of 5.0 on her job performance. Laurie Chadwick applied to be a “Team Lead.” Laurie Chadwick was denied the promotion in favor of another woman in the company who had one year of experience as a Recovery Specialist and a job performance rating of 3.84. At the time of the promotion decision, Laurie Chadwick was the mother of an 11-year-old son and three six-year-old triplets. The issue of this case asked, “Did Wellpoint violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by denying a promotion to Chadwick based on a sex-based stereotype that a mother with young children would neglect her work duties in favor of her parental obligation?” The court held for the plaintiff, Laurie Chadwick. The court reasoned that even though Title VII does not prohibit discrimination based on the responsibilities of a caregiver, this case involved stereotyping based on sex. The court reasoned that the employer based its decision on an assumption that Chadwick’s work performance would decline in favor of her presumed responsibilities as mother of four children.
The court reasoned, “An employer is not free to assume that a woman, because she is a woman, will necessarily be a poor a worker because of family responsibilities.” The court concluded that the employer’s statement of, “It was nothing you did or didn’t do,” would lead a jury to believe that the decision was not based on Chadwick’s job performance. The employer had stated, “…you’re going to school, you have kids, and you just have a lot on your plate right now.” This statement would lead the jury to believe that the employer denied the promotion based on an