Justice Randy Sue Marber
Plaintiff Toni DeMay, who was General Manager at defendant Wheatley Hills Golf Club Inc. from 1999 through 2010 and before that worked at the Club as Assistant Manager for 17 years, alleged that she was denied continued employment at the Club because of gender discrimination and retaliation. Only men are allowed to be full club members and women are not allowed in certain sections of the club. DeMay worked pursuant to a series of employment agreements, the last of which ended at the end of 2010. The club asserted that it let DeMay go because it decided to “go in a different direction.” The court, among other things, denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on DeMay’s gender discrimination action, finding that DeMay has presented evidence of an undercurrent of resentment by some club members toward her. The court also found that sufficient evidence has been presented to raise a triable issue of fact as to the existence of a hostile work environment at the club in 2010. The court determined that the fact that DeMay received generous bonuses in 2008 and 2009 and many accolades in 2010, raises a question of fact as to whether it was more likely than not that DeMay’s gender was the real reason for the club’s adverse action.
