Merck sales representative claims sexual bias, seeks over $100 million

By Ransdell Pierson (Reuters) – A sales representative for Merck & Co. filed a more than $100 million sex discrimination lawsuit against the drugmaker on Thursday, claiming that it particularly discriminates against pregnant employees and women with children. The plaintiff, Kelli Smith, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, claims she was demoted for taking maternity leave in 2010, and penalized by unfair performance evaluations and other actions that stalled her career and hurt her reputation. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges the No. 2 U.S. …