A recent jury verdict in a major sex discrimination lawsuit against the drug maker Novartis serves as a reminder that the nation still has a way to go in eradicating the unfair treatment of women in employment.

The federal class-action lawsuit involved claims that Novartis discriminated against female sales employees in pay and promotions  especially women who became pregnant and took maternity leave. After a five-week trial, the jury of five women and four men ruled against the company and required it to pay $3.36 million in compensatory damages to 12 of the women who testified. Individual awards ranged from $50,000 to nearly $600,000.

Nearly 5,600 other female employees will be eligible to apply to a court-appointed special master for similar individual damages, which, in total, could exceed $200 million when the reckoning is over. In addition, the jury held Novartis liable for $250 million in punitive damages for its discriminatory conduct. The judge is expected to rule shortly on awards of back pay.

Beyond the negative reflection on one company’s practices, and the deterrent to bad behavior by others, the case contains a timely message for Congress.