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EEOC lawsuit says company engaged in textbook age discrimination

On Behalf of | May 11, 2020 | blog, Employment Law for Employees |

A recent lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a Midwest aerospace parts supplier illustrates age discrimination in hiring. Older adults looking for work in New York may have encountered age-related questions during interviews such as those experienced by the 64-year-old man represented by the EEOC lawsuit.

The legal filings detail how a staffing agency referred the man for a position at the aerospace supplier because he possessed adequate qualifications. According to the man, the plant superintendent asked him about his age and year of high school graduation during the interview. The job applicant reluctantly answered the questions. After looking at the man’s driver’s license, the superintendent then allegedly told the applicant that he looked good for his age. Ultimately, the employer did not extend a job offer on the grounds that the applicant could not work long term. The staffing agency, however, emailed the superintendent with a statement that said that the applicant wanted to work for 10 years but received no reply.

An EEOC attorney described the facts of the case as laid out in the legal complaint as a textbook example of breaking the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The commission had tried to settle the matter with the employer prior to pursuing litigation. The EEOC lawsuit now proposes that the employer cease discrimination against people over 40 and pay monetary damages to the applicant.

After a person experiences an episode of discriminatory treatment in the workplace or ongoing mistreatment, a consultation with a lawyer may provide answers about legal rights. Representation from a lawyer who practices employment law for employees might assist a person during arbitration or litigation. A lawyer may cite the person’s legal rights that could motivate an employer to remedy illegal discrimination.