EEOC Age Discrimination Lawsuits

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act or ADEA which protects people aged 40 and over from employment discrimination.  Recently, EEOC attorneys announced in Press Releases that the EEOC has settled two age discrimination lawsuits.  In a June 18, 2009 EEOC Press Release, the EEOC stated that age discrimination represents the fastest-growing type of charge filing with the EEOC.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/6-18-09b.html .  In this regard, the EEOC received a record 24,582 age discrimination charge filings during Fiscal Year 2008.  According to the June 18, 2009 Press Release, Catholic Charities, one of the largest non-profit providers of social services in the San Francisco Bay Area, agreed to pay $30,000.00 and provide other relief to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought by EEOC attorneys.  In that case, the EEOC charged that Catholic Charities fired a highly qualified 71-year-old advocate of the aged and replaced him with a less qualified woman half his age and such alleged conduct violates the ADEA.  In addition to agreeing to pay $30,000 in back pay and interest, Catholic Charities also agreed to provide training to its work force on age discrimination prohibitions and periodic reports to the EEOC on work force demographics in terminations and layoffs.  On June 19, 2009, EEOC attorneys announced that the California State University System agreed to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of a longtime San Francisco State University Lecturer for $50,000.00 and other relief.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/6-19-09.html .  In that lawsuit, the EEOC’s investigation reportedly found that despite over 30 years of teaching experience at various Bay Area colleges and universities and a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1976, the lecturer was passed over for a much younger candidate who had not yet received his Ph.D., a requirement for the position.  An EEOC attorney was quoted in that Press Release as saying that “We are pleased that the California State University System worked with the Commission to reach a fair resolution of the case.”

Whether employment related age bias occurs in Freeport, Galveston, Houston or elsewhere, victims of workplace age discrimination may contact the EEOC and an attorney or lawyer to determine if an age discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular facts and circumstances of the potential age bias claim.