A class action lawsuit filed by Lockheed Martin employee Carol Bell alleged that Lockheed Martin discriminated against female employees by denying them opportunities to advance their careers to upper management level positions outside of the human resources, communications and ethics departments, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and state anti-discrimination laws. The proposed class grew to include current and former Lockheed Martin female employees in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Maryland. The lawsuit settled in 2014.