Ex-top prosecutor alleges gender pay gap at Denver District Attorney’s office

A former top prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney’s office claimed in a lawsuit last week that she was paid less than her male colleagues as part of systematic gender discrimination in the office.

Adrienne Greene, a 25-year veteran of the district attorney’s office and former senior chief deputy district attorney, was paid between $16,000 and $18,000 less than two male colleagues in 2021, despite having the same number of years on the job and performing similar work, she alleges in the lawsuit.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, Carolyn Tyler, called Greene’s accusations “inaccurate and without merit,” in a statement Sunday and said District Attorney Beth McCann intends to “defend against” them. The city of Denver was also a named defendant; a spokeswoman for that office said in a statement Sunday that the city should not have been included in the lawsuit and would seek to dismiss it.

Greene resigned from the district attorney’s office on Jan. 14 and worked through Feb. 11, Tyler said. Greene was hired in 1996, according to the complaint, which was filed in Denver District Court on Thursday.

Greene’s accusations are the latest turn in a years-long saga over alleged gender discrimination within the district attorney’s office. In 2017, the city agreed to pay $460,000 to an employee who sued on the grounds she was paid less than a male colleague and who said female attorneys in both the city attorney’s office and the district attorney’s office were being paid less than men in comparable positions.

In her lawsuit, Greene said she first complained about pay discrimination internally in August, then again in November, but no changes were made to her salary. She also claims she was retaliated against and passed over for a supervisory role because she spoke up about harassment and a hostile work environment.

In December, Greene sent out an email to “nearly all attorneys” in the district attorney’s office that discussed alleged gender discrimination in pay rates, according to the lawsuit.

McCann replied in an email that she was “disappointed” to see Greene’s email, according to the lawsuit.

“I believe that type of communication is not helpful nor productive and I don’t think it deserves a lengthy response,” McCann wrote, according to the lawsuit. “Suffice it to say that I disagree with Adrienne’s assumptions and conclusions.”

Greene alleges that the pay gap has been in place since at least 2013 — when former District Attorney Mitch Morrissey was still in office. McCann was elected in 2016 as the city’s first female district attorney.

“Beth McCann has worked hard to create an welcoming and supportive environment for women,” Tyler said in the statement. “The district attorney’s office is a place for opportunity and promotion for all genders.”

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