Less than a year after Disney settled a major pay inequity class action lawsuit with female employees for $43 million, the company is facing fresh allegations of pay discrimination, retaliation, and unequal treatment from one of its own former top lawyers.
Alisa Clairet, a 20-year veteran of Disney Channel’s Legal Affairs division and a former temporary co-head of the group, filed a seven-claim complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 15, 2025. According to the lawsuit, Clairet was paid substantially less than her male counterpart—a lawyer with the same qualifications, experience, and duties—despite consistently doing more work and handling greater responsibilities.
The filing states: “From the beginning of her career with the Disney Channel in May 2005 through the end of her career in October 2024, Ms. Clairet was paid substantially less than her male counterpart… Not only was she paid less, she consistently did more work and had more responsibilities.”
When Clairet raised the issue internally, Disney allegedly ignored her complaints, even after the company faced a separate class action lawsuit from women employees. Following the settlement of that case in November 2024, Clairet claims she was laid off in September 2024 as retaliation for pushing for equal pay. Her male counterpart kept his job, despite being higher-paid and allegedly less effective.
Her lawsuit seeks damages under California’s Pay Equity Act, claims of disparate treatment, retaliation, unfair competition, wage penalties, and demands for back pay, reinstatement, or front pay in lieu of reinstatement.
See More ...
The class action referenced in Clairet’s filing was launched in 2019 by LaRonda Rasmussen and Karen Moore and included up to 14,000 female employees from 2015–2024. While plaintiffs sought $300 million, the case was ultimately settled in 2024 for $43.25 million. Clairet opted out of that settlement, preserving her right to pursue an individual jury trial.
If her claims prove accurate—particularly that Disney chose to eliminate a lower-paid woman’s role instead of her higher-paid male colleague—the case could pose a significant reputational and legal challenge for the company.
For now, the case is assigned to Judge Brook T. Hammond as of August 25, 2025, but Disney has yet to file a formal response in court. With summer recess over, legal proceedings are expected to accelerate.
