Lilly Ledbetter worked as supervisor for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company at its Gadsden, Alabama plant from 1979 until 1998 when she took an early retirement due to the plant closing. Throughout her career she was subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage discrimination.

Just before she retired, someone anonymously slipped her a note that compared her salary to that of three other male workers. Although Lilly suspected she was not being paid equally, she had signed an agreement when she was hired that she would not discuss salaries with other workers.

Until the note, she had no way of knowing she was being underpaid because she was a woman. Lilly had no idea she was being underpaid. She was prohibited from asking about or talking about pay wages. She did not have tangible evidence until she was ready to retire 19 years into her employment that she was being cheated.