Lawsuit: Discrimination, 'frat party' atmosphere at Anheuser-Busch

Alleging sex-based discrimination, the former highest-ranking female executive at Anheuser-Busch has filed a lawsuit against the brewers.

Francine Katz, who was once vice president of communications and consumer affairs and [a] member of the strategy committee for the brewing company, claimed that she earned significantly less in salary and bonuses than her male counterparts, in the suit filed Monday in a Missouri state court.

The lawsuit further alleges that Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light, encourages a "locker room" and "frat party" atmosphere which excludes women from social exchanges, the St. Louis Business Journal reports.

According to court documents, Katz repeatedly voiced concern about the compensation disparity between male and female executives, and was allegedly called "ungrateful" by former chairman August Busch III.

Subsequent to the reproach, Katz learned that her salary and target bonus was lower than every male member of the company's strategy committee except for the only other female member, Marlene Coulis. Furthermore, the claimant reportedly discovered that she and Coulis were classified as "Tier II" officers, while each male member received a "Tier I" classification.

In discussing the discrepancies with superiors, Katz says she was continually "met with hostility or misinformation."

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race, color, national origin, and religion.