Anheuser-Busch continued Monday to press its defense against a discrimination lawsuit lodged by former top executive Francine Katz.
The company called Vernon Loucks, a former board member and chairman of the brewer’s compensation committee, who said salaries were closely scrutinized and denied gender was a factor in Katz’s pay.
Loucks denied the claim from Katz’s legal team that the committee rubber-stamped salary recommendations made by the company’s former CEOs August Busch III, his son August Busch IV, and Patrick Stokes. Loucks is a former longtime CEO at Baxter International in Deerfield, Ill.
“There’s no such thing as a rubber stamp there,†Loucks said. “I resent that kind of connotation.â€
Katz, a 20-year A-B employee until she left in 2008, alleges she was paid less than other male executives on its strategy committee after her promotion to vice president of corporate communications in 2002. Katz was paid less than her predecessor John Jacob, and she alleges she missed out on $9.4 million in compensation.
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Several former A-B executives and expert witnesses also testified that Katz’s pay was based on the market rate for her position, public relations, that was derived from peer companies compiled by a consulting firm hired by A-B, Hewitt.
Katz’s base pay was 130 percent above the market rate, executive compensation consultant Yvonne Chen testified Monday, reflecting the breadth of her responsibilities.
Responding to Chen’s report analyzing Katz’s pay, Katz’s attorney Donna Harper asked Chen why she didn’t include several responsibilities Katz held, including serving as a board member on three A-B subsidiary boards.
“I didn’t think they were material,†Chen said.
The last witness in the trial is expected to be called as early as Wednesday.