A judge is expected to ask the Hartford Elks lodge to explain why it hasn't paid an estimated $709,000 owed to victims and lawyers in a sex discrimination case.
The Burlington Free Press reports that Judge Robert Bench said Wednesday during a hearing in the case that he plans to order officials of the lodge to appear in court.
Four women and the Human Rights Commission sued the Elks after seven women were denied membership to the then all-male lodge in 1996.
A year earlier, the national Elks organization abolished its requirement that restricted membership to men.
But the Hartford Lodge said the women were denied for reasons other than gender. A jury found the lodge had violated state law by discriminating against the women because of their gender.
