In a courtroom drama that cracked open the polished veneer of a Tennessee personal injury law firm, a federal jury has delivered a resounding verdict: Reaves Law Firm PLLC must pay $3.27 million to a former top executive who blew the whistle on alleged gender-based pay disparities—and got fired for it.
After a tense three-day trial, the jury ruled on Wednesday in favor of Andrea Jaye Mosby, the former Chief People Officer at Reaves, who claimed she was punished after exposing pay gaps where male hires were offered higher salaries than more experienced female attorneys. The jury didn’t hesitate—awarding her $258,000 in back pay, $516,000 in compensatory damages, and a stunning $2.5 million in punitive damages.
A Month at the Top, Then a Sharp Fall
Mosby, a seasoned employment lawyer, joined the firm in May 2022, immediately taking the reins of HR operations. Within a month, she said she uncovered glaring pay inequities—most notably, a male candidate being offered a salary far higher than that of a seasoned female attorney at the firm. When she raised concerns to firm founder Henry Eugene Reaves, the mood reportedly turned hostile.
According to her February 2023 lawsuit, Mosby was demoted shortly after that confrontation. By June 2022, she was fired.
