Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Overturns Supreme Court Decision

By Sally Piefer

Last week, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The law is retroactive to May 28, 2007, and clarifies that pay discrimination occurs each time discriminatory compensation is paid. The Act overturns a 2007 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that held that the time frame for filing a pay discrimination charge with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) begins when an employer makes a discriminatory decision about employee compensation -- and did not occur each time the employee receives a discriminatory paycheck. The new law amends Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act as it relates to discriminatory compensation.

Published: 02/2009