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NEW YORK, US - FINANCIAL news and data firm Bloomberg LP, founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is facing a lawsuit involving 58 women who say they had their pay cut, were demoted or denied opportunities because they had become pregnant.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which filed the lawsuit, said on Thursday the number of claimants had risen from three since Sept and could rise further.
EEOC attorney Raechel Adams told a pre-trial hearing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York that her agency had sent questionnaires to 478 women who were at Bloomberg LP and had taken maternity leave since 2002.
Michael Bloomberg, who became mayor in Jan 2002, retains a majority stake in the company but has said he has given up day-to-day control.
The cases go back to February 2002.
Ms Adams said the EEOC was still conducting follow up interviews with the women, not all of whom are in the United States.
The lawsuit also claims the women were paid less when they returned from maternity leave and were demoted and replaced by 'junior' male employees.
The EEOC took action after Jill Patricot, Tanys Lancaster and Janet Loures filed charges with the government agency.
Both Ms Patricot and Ms Loures remain employed by Bloomberg LP. Ms Lancaster is an executive at Thomson Reuters. Bloomberg LP is a competitor of Thomson Reuters.
The EEOC is asking the court to award back pay and provide compensation for both past and future monetary losses.
A trial is expected in the fall.
Bloomberg LP's lawyer, Anna Aquilar, told US District Judge Loretta Preska that her client had given the EEOC more than one million pages of data related to employees over the last 10 years.
The company will also hand over e-mails, she said. -- REUTERS
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