SUPPOSEDLY FIRED AN EMPLOYEE BECAUSE OF HIS ADVANCED AGE
A nursing and rehabilitation facility in Athens, Ohio, d/b/a “The Laurels of Athens,” was recently sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allegedly discriminating against an employee on the basis of his age and sex, and then retaliating against him when he complained about the mistreatment.
When he was fired in 2020, the employee was 59 years of age, and a few months shy of his 60th birthday. The lawsuit claims that when the employee tried to return from an approved medical leave, the nursing facility terminated his employment claiming that there was no work available (even though assignments were offered to others). The company also refused to rehire the senior after he filed a discrimination charge.
Since such conduct allegedly violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (EEOC v. Laurel Health Care Company, et al., Case No. 2:23-cv-03159), seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a written statement, Philadelphia District Office Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence noted that “The EEOC is committed to remedying discrimination because of sex and age …. Furthermore, employers who retaliate against workers who complain about discrimination must be held accountable.”
When it comes to age discrimination, why do some employers act like petulant children?
# # #