A jury trial in federal court in New York will begin next week involving the lawsuit of former junior analyst at Centerview Partners, Katherine Shiber.
She claims that the company engaged in discrimination when it fired her shortly after agreeing to work conditions that included a guaranteed nine-hour sleep period each night. This was reported by the Financial Times (FT).
In 2020, Shiber, who was 21 at the time, reported a diagnosed mood and anxiety disorder and requested the ability to sleep at least eight hours a day. Centerview agreed to relieve her from work from midnight to 9:00 AM, with the employee agreeing to be available at other times and work seven days a week. Less than three weeks after implementing this schedule, Shiber was fired.
The woman stated that the dismissal undermined her career in investment banking. She is seeking compensation for lost earnings over several years, as well as damages for emotional distress.
Centerview points out that junior employees typically have long and unpredictable schedules and believes that with the need for continuous sleep for 8–9 hours, "there were no reasonable conditions" that would allow for the duties of an analyst to be performed on a regular basis.
In October, federal judge Edgardo Ramos denied Centerview's motion for a summary judgment and ordered the case to proceed. Among the issues the court will assess is whether round-the-clock availability is a "essential function" of the junior analyst position.
