Court reviews Caesars case

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2001 | 11:17 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will take a third look at a sex discrimination suit against Caesars Palace filed by a woman fired in 1994.

The court, in a ruling Wednesday, said the full court would re-hear the case involving Catharina Costa, a warehouse worker at the Las Vegas Strip casino resort from 1987 to 1994.

A panel of the court issued a ruling in December 2000, but that decision was withdrawn and a court panel published another ruling in January.

In the January ruling the court panel overturned a $420,000 judgment awarded to Costa. The panel said U.S. District Judge David Hagen gave wrong instructions to the jury, and the panel said Costa did not present substantial evidence that she was treated differently or terminated because she was a woman.

Costa, who, according to casino records, had a long history of disciplinary infractions, was the only female in her work section. She was fired after getting into a fight with a male worker. The other employee, who did not have a history of disciplinary actions, received only a five-day suspension.

Costa filed suit, accusing the resort of gender discrimination. She presented evidence at the trial that her supervisor told her a male co-worker received more overtime because he had a family to support.