Discrimination suit delayed by trial judge

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Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | 9:10 a.m.

NEW YORK -- The judge presiding over a bias suit accusing Morgan Stanley of discriminating against its female employees surprised lawyers for the firm and the U.S. government today by delaying the start of trial for "a few days."

Jury selection was scheduled to begin this morning in New York in the first government suit to accuse a Wall Street bank of gender bias. Shortly after 8 a.m., U.S. District Judge Richard Berman posted a note on his courtroom door saying he'd postponed the case "a few days" to resolve outstanding legal issues.

Berman said the parties asked for the delay. Lawyers for Morgan Stanley, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and former bond trader Allison Schieffelin, whose complaint to the agency initiated the case almost six years ago, denied making the request.