Class Action

In the coldest reaches of northern Minnesota, a group of women endured a shocking degree of sexual harassment, until one found the courage to file the first sexual harassment class action suit in America, permanently changing the legal landscape.

When the local iron mine began hiring women in 1975, Lois Jenson, a single mother on welfare, didn’t think twice about accepting the grueling but well-paying job. What she hadn’t considered was that she was entering a male-dominated society that fiercely resented the inclusion of women, a prejudice born out in the brutal harassment of every female miner. Relentlessly threatened with pornographic graffiti, denigrating language, stalking, and physical assaults, the women largely kept quiet for fear of losing their jobs, until Lois, devastated by the abuse, found the courage to sue—and won.

This book was the basis for the acclaimed motion picture North Country starring Charlize Theron.