In rare public remarks, Abigail Johnson, heir to the Fidelity fortune and now chief executive officer, has promised to root out the mistreatment of women. On Oct. 23, in a video made available to Fidelity’s 40,000 employees and in a speech the next day at a Washington conference, she vowed to fight sexual harassment. In a September interview, she promised to recruit more women.

Confidential Settlement

Erika Wesson will not be one of them. Fidelity paid her $500,000 in 2011 and promised to provide good job references as part of a confidential settlement.

But Wesson claims she has been blackballed in the industry and says Fidelity is to blame. Six years later, after about 60 interviews, the Vanderbilt MBA has not found another job in finance. In 2015, she filed a breach-of-contract suit in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston.

“The facts of this case present a troubling picture of what happens to talented women, particularly in male-dominated fields, who dare to speak up about the discrimination they face,” said Ellen Zucker, Wesson’s attorney. “Too often, they find themselves without a place to turn for support, made the target of unfair scrutiny and told it is they who no longer fit in and should leave.”

Fidelity calls her suit baseless.

“Meritless claims are brought against Fidelity as they are against every large employer,” said Vincent Loporchio, a spokesman. “In many instances, the cases are dismissed. Even in cases where there are settlements, one cannot draw the conclusion that the case had any merit. Companies on occasion settle cases simply to avoid the exorbitant costs and inconvenience of litigation.”

‘Outstanding’ Rating

In 2007, Wesson began working at Fidelity’s Pyramis Global Advisors, which managed money for institutional investors. From 2008 on, Wesson, who was in her 30s, was the only woman on the acquisition team, which scouted for deals across the U.S., she said in court papers, which noted she received positive reviews that included ratings of “exceeding expectations” and “outstanding.”

In 2010, Sujit Sitole, who was junior to her but acting as her boss, told her she wasn’t getting ahead because she “didn’t drink beer, watch football or eat meat,” she said in her lawsuit. He advised her to play a stereotypical female role, taking a “back seat” by remaining silent even when she knew the answer to a question asked by a managing director, she said.