Paul C. Sprenger (September 8, 1940 – December 29, 2014) was an American attorney. Sprenger is best known as lead counsel of '' Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.'', a discrimination case involving female iron miners in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Early life and career

Earning a track scholarship to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, Sprenger was the first of his family to attend college. Sprenger received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from the University's School of Business Administration in 1962, and a J.D. from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...

in 1965. From 1965 until 1977, Sprenger practiced law with the Minneapolis business/defense law firm of Johnson & Sands, becoming a partner in 1970.

Class Action Practice

Finding himself unsatisfied with representing business clients, Sprenger began his own firm in 1977, with a primary focus on employment discrimination

class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

s. In 1989, Sprenger merged his firm with Jane Lang's firm based in Washington, D.C. to form Sprenger + Lang, PLLC. In

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

in August 1988, Sprenger filed ''Lois E. Jenson and Patricia S. Kosmach v. Eveleth Taconite Co.'' in U.S. District CourtBingham, Clara and Laura Leedy Gansler (2002). Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law, New York: Doubleday. The case, known as '' Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.'', became the first sexual harassment discrimination class action lawsuit in the U.S. A fictionalized account of the landmark case was made into a 2005 film,

North Country North Country may refer to: Places * North Country, Cornwall, England * North Country, the northern third of New Hampshire, U.S. **Great North Woods Region (New Hampshire) *North Country (New York), a region of Upstate New York ** North Country Co ...

, with

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

portraying the lead attorney "Bill White," acting in the Paul Sprenger role.Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts. "How to Greet the Accused So You Won't Feel Guilty:. . . And Remember, You're Under Oath" (Sunday, October 30, 2005; Page D03), The Washington Post. Sprenger was lead counsel on a television writers'

age discrimination Ageism, also called agism in American English, is a type of discrimination based on one's age, generally used to refer to age-based discrimination against elderly people. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe this discrim ...

lawsuit which began in 2000 and settled in 2010. The case involved claims of widespread age discrimination in the television production and

talent agency A talent agency is a company that represents actors, authors, musicians, model (person), models, professional athlete, athletes, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various industries. Talent agencies specialize, either by creating dep ...

industries. These claims have been pursued for years with help from other firms and organizations, such as

AARP AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38 ...

. The case was settled in 2010 for $74.5 Million - the largest-ever settlement in the history of age discrimination litigation. Sprenger was the treasurer of the

Tregaron Conservancy The Tregaron Conservancy is a 13 acre Private protected area, privately owned and Park conservancy, managed historic woodland garden nature park in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest, Washington, D.C. and the nonprofit organization that man ...

, an environmental

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that restores and maintains the

Tregaron Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales. It is sited astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi, and is north-east of Lampeter. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census, the po ...

historic estate in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Sprenger served on the board of directors of the

Atlas Performing Arts Center The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a multiple space performing arts facility located on H Street (Washington, D.C.), H Street in the Near Northeast, Washington, D.C., Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, DC. Housed in a renovated Art Deco m ...

and served as the Treasurer of the organization. Sprenger was a Trustee of the Sprenger Lang Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting arts and arts education. Paul Sprenger and Jane Lang were included in Washingtonian magazine's 2007 list of Washingtonians of the year. On December 29, 2014, Spenger died of an apparent heart attack while snorkeling in

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

.Tamar Lewin
"Paul Sprenger, Lawyer Who Fought Discrimination, Dies at 74"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Dec. 31, 2014.

Notes

References

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sprenger, Paul 1940 births 2014 deaths People from Stillwater, Minnesota University of Michigan Law School alumni Ross School of Business alumni Minnesota lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American philanthropists