Lillis Ledbetter

Lillis Ledbetter (born 1938) is an American civil rights activist and pay equity advocate who became the face of the equal-pay movement in the United States. Working as a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company plant in Alabama for nearly two decades, Ledbetter discovered through a confidential salary survey that she was being paid significantly less than her male counterparts despite performing identical work. She filed a discrimination lawsuit in 1998, which eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. Though she initially lost the case, her legal battle galvanized Congressional action, leading to the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009—the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. This landmark legislation effectively resets the statute of limitations for pay discrimination claims, allowing workers to file complaints within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck rather than within 180 days of the first discriminatory check. Ledbetter has since become a prominent speaker and advocate for workplace equality and fair compensation, earning numerous awards and recognition for her tireless work in advancing civil rights.