Lawson Lamar .com

DISCLAIMER:  THIS IS A POLITICAL WEB SITE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC REGARDING OPINIONS ABOUT LAWSON LAMAR. IT IS NOT THE PERSONAL HOME PAGE OF LAWSON LAMAR, STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA

ALLEGATIONS OF

GENDER BIAS

(For more information about alleged Gender Bias in salaries at State Attorney's Offices in Florida, visit StateAttorneys.com)

Lindamood obtained pay records for Assistant State Attorneys from the State Attorney's Office and the Justice Administrative Commission. She alleged the existence of over $ 1/4 million in gender-based salary discrepancies between comparable male and female assistant state attorneys over the time she worked as an Assistant State Attorney for Lawson (1989-1998) and she continued to obtain pay records after her termination. In his deposition, Lawson when asked about gender based pay inequities that existed in his office replied:  I have no specific recollection of any one talking about gender pay inequity, no, I don't."  Yet he was on the distribution list, along with then Executive Director Mel Jones and Chief Assistant State Attorney William Vose, for an email Lindamood sent on April 16, 1996 directly raising the issue. As to the statutorily mandated annual review (pursuant to Chapter 27, Florida Statutes) to eliminate gender bias in salaries and whether it was complied with:  If it were not complied with, I probably would have heard something personally from the Auditor General."  Lindamood's complaint of gender bias in Assistant State Attorney salaries to the Auditor General was not acted upon by that office.

Asked in his deposition about the running of his office, Lawson Lamar said he's so busy" he delegates responsibility for the day to day running of the office to Vose. He and I do business frequently and rapidly."   I talk to people all day long.  It's a problem in this job, people want to talk to you every time you walk around." 

Vose, in his deposition gave as his reasons for Lindamood's termination ¤well, then, the EEOC complaint that she was discriminated against because she was a woman and over 40." Vose complained about Having to deal with EEOC, which is fun in and of itself˜" The thought that someone would challenge Lamar's commitment to equal opportunity affirmative action employment:   That really pissed me off."  Vose told reporter Lawrence Budd of the Orlando Weekly, (Firing Back: Whistle-Blower is Lamar's office still sounding the alarm," September 3, 1998):  I don't know anyone who gets paid because he has a dick." 

Mel Jones, a retired UCF professor, former registered lobbyist for the State Attorney's office, then Executive Director/"Director of Investigations and Administration," and campaign manager for all of Lawson's earlier campaigns said, with regard to complaints of gender bias, that if he noticed something amiss in the salaries, he would report it to Vose Well, I certainly see what Assistant State Attorneys make.  And there are some reports that are prepared periodically that show what all the Assistant State Attorneys and people make." He identified the payroll registers Lindamood had obtained from the Justice Administrative Commission for the Ninth Circuit State Attorney's Office, showing monthly salaries for named individuals.  ˜when someone made a request to see this salary information covered under the Public Records Act, the Justice Administrative Commission ˜informed us when anybody makes a public records request under Florida Statutes.  So, yes, I'm aware of that, on occasion, those were done by Ms. Lindamood, yes." They send me copies of whatever they send out."

Vose said of Jones: Mel is the type person that goes and hides away in McDonald's to get out of the office, to get away from the phone calls and with his calculator.  Hey, that's where he likes to hide and with his calculator, and he works out, this group of people are not being treated fairly ˜he's a statistical person."

Despite being a statistical person," Jones didn't have an answer as to why two attorneys (one male, one female) hired on the same day (and performing the same duties) had a discrepancy in salary of in excess of $13,000 annually, or why a Board Certified Criminal Trial Specialist would be making less than a non-board certified male hired three years after her.

Although he wrote the Policies and Procedures Manual, Jones didn't know who the office EEO compliance person was. With regard to the statutory mandate to conduct an annual audit to eliminate gender bias in salaries, Jones acknowledged ˜there's a reference to a racial and gender bias or analysis of salaries, yes, that you're required to do once a year: ˜it's the same report˜ so there's no real need to do almost like a once a year analysis because it's an ongoing˜analysis. So it's not exactly like you have to do a once-a-year thing. The requirement is that you annually do it."