ACLU: JPMorgan Chase settles paternal leave class action

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A civil rights group says JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by male employees who say they were denied additional paid parental leave between 2011 and 2017.

The American Civil Liberties Union and law firm Outten & Golden announced the settlement Thursday.

Chase employee Derek Rotondo filed an equal opportunity claim in 2017 when he tried to get 14 additional paid weeks after his son was born. He was told by Chase that while mothers are eligible for 16 weeks as primary caregivers, non-primary caregivers were only eligible for two weeks.

The Chase policy was always gender neutral but was updated after the lawsuit to make that clear.

A Chase spokesman welcomed the agreement and thanked Rotondo for raising the issue.

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This story has been updated to show that Chase's policy was always gender neutral but was updated after the lawsuit to make that clear.