Jones Day is facing yet another lawsuit over workplace discrimination — this time due to its parental leave policies — in a case being built against a backdrop of allegations about the firm's apparent "black box" compensation system and potential gender biases.

The new case follows a high-profile, class-action suit filed in April accusing the firm, under the leadership of managing partner Stephen Brogan, of gender and maternity discrimination that inhibited pay and career growth for female lawyers. Plaintiffs in that case are suing for $200 million.

A federal suit filed Aug. 13 in Washington, D.C., by Mark C. Savignac and Julia Sheketoff, says the former had a promising career unfolding at the firm before he was fired in January after questioning the parental leave policy that the case alleges "discriminates on the basis of sex and imposes archaic gender roles by giving eight more weeks of leave to all women than to men."

Savignac and Sheketoff are 32 and 36 years old, respectively, according to this piece in The Washington Post, and are former U.S. Supreme Court Clerks. Both had worked as associates in the firm's issues and appeals group. They're representing themselves in the case.

The suit specifically names Brogan and Beth Heifetz, head of Jones Day's Supreme Court and appellate practice group (i.e., the issues and appeals group) as defendants.

According to the story in court filings, Sheketoff had recently left Jones Day for another job at the time Savignac emailed the firm on Jan. 16 about its parental leave policy, which allegedly grants eight more weeks of leave to women — 18 weeks in total, without regard to disability — than to men. Savignac was demanding equal treatment.

The case argues the policy is unfair because it allows more time for women to "care for and bond with" their babies than men receive.

"In the same email, Julia and Mark stated that Jones Day's black-box compensation system and its attempts to keep associate salaries secret are tailor-made to enable sex discrimination, that Julia and Mark had experienced such discrimination when Julia's salary was affected by a discriminatory evaluation, and that it would be illegal for Jones Day to retaliate against Julia and Mark because of their opposition to sex discrimination," according to the lawsuit.

That "discriminatory evaluation" refers to a raise awarded to Julia allegedly smaller than it could have been because a "male partner gave her a poor performance review for not showing him the degree of deference that he demands from female (but not male) attorneys."

Three days after that email was sent, Savignac was fired. The couple's son was just two weeks old at the time.

"Perhaps we were really just very naive in never considering that Jones Day would fire Mark, but we thought the law so clearly protected our complaint and our demand for equal treatment, and that this was a law firm and they would know the law," Sheketoff told The Washington Post.

Allegations made in the 44-page complaint are reminiscent of those in the class-action suit filed this spring in how they aim to illustrate a culture of supposed discrimination promulgated under Brogan's leadership.

The suit claims Sheketoff's photo on Jones Day's website was altered to make her more "attractive." The photo of Sheketoff, who is biracial, was allegedly altered to have her skin lightened and her nose narrowed. This situation is highlighted among allegations of sexism that may have also affected her compensation and overall treatment by male colleagues.

In another anecdote, the suit claims that on at least one occasion, in Sheketoff's presence, one of the firm's "most prominent partners" rhetorically asked: "What would a man do on parental leave — watch his wife unload the dishwasher?" That partner was allegedly referred to by another attorney as a "walking Title VII violation."

The case also claims Jones Day retaliated against Savignac further after he was no longer with the firm by preventing colleagues with the firm from providing professional references.