Ex-City Lawyer Pursues Discrimination Suit Against Evanston

A former staff attorney for the city of Evanston is pursuing a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the city discriminated against her on the basis of sex and age, according to Bloomberg Law. 

Last week, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that Elke Tober-Purze had made the allegations “in good faith,” and denied a motion from the city to dismiss her claims of age and sex discrimination, Bloomberg Law reports.

Elke Tober-Purze worked as a staff attorney from 2003 until Aug. 16, 2010, when she was terminated, according to the judge’s ruling, which is posted online at Bloomberg Law. Before she lost her job, she “received excellent evaluations and was never disciplined,” but made less money than her male peers, according to the judge’s ruling. 

While she worked for the city, Tober-Purze claims that superiors told her she was “not that pretty,” and that one superior even said previous attorneys he hired were “smart…good-looking…just gorgeous…[and wore] tight sweaters…short skirts,” the ruling says.

Reached Monday, Evanston city attorney Grant Farrar said he had no comment on the case.