Newspaper’s Discrimination Lawsuit Headed to Trial

A judge in New York City has ruled that a discrimination lawsuit brought against Dow Jones & Co. by a former assistant managing editor at The Wall Street Journal can go to trial.

Federal Judge Deborah Batts ruled Monday that Carolyn Phillips can proceed with claims that she was terminated by the newspaper based on her race. Phillips is black.

Phillips lost her job as assistant managing editor in November 2002. She sued the company in 2004.

Batts tossed out Phillips’ claims of discrimination based on disability, but the judge wrote that Phillips had produced sufficient circumstantial evidence to create an issue for the jury as to whether intentional discrimination influenced decisions regarding her employment.

“Dow Jones does not discriminate period,” the newspaper’s parent company said in a statement Tuesday. “We are gratified the court dismissed the disability claim, and we expect to prevail on the other claim at trial.”

Dow Jones is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.