A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling undercutting a prospective class action against Microsoft for allegedly underpaying and not promoting nearly 8,600 female employees.

A panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with a team from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in affirming a 2018 decision not to certify the class accusing Microsoft of systematically discriminating against women in both pay and promotions. U.S. District Judge James Robart of the Western District of Washington found there were no uniform policies or job descriptions that tied the proposed class together.