While residential real estate sales have always been open to both men and women the world of commercial real estate has been a masculine bastion. With the settlement of a lawsuit that CB Richard Ellis has agreed to, the doors to women in commercial real estate may be opened just a little bit.

CB Richard Ellis were the subject of a class action lawsuit claiming that a pattern of sexual harassment occurred across the company. Now the payouts for any woman employee will range from $1,500 to $150,000. Of course the lawyers are the ones that really made out clearing over 3.4 million.

While this looks like the opportunity for CB Richard Ellis to clear the decks of a distraction, it also has the potential to open the doors to women in the world of commercial real estate a little wider.

Women who say they were subject to sexual harassment or discrimination can recover $1,500 without revealing their identities to the company if they prove their claims to an arbiter approved by both parties.

A second tier of claimants can collect as much as $15,000 by submitting paperwork to the arbiter, but their names must be disclosed to CB Richard Ellis, which may file documents disputing the claims.

Claimants in the third tier could collect as much as $150,000 but would be subject to full arbitration hearings with witnesses. The process is expected to be completed next year.  Los Angeles Times.

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