The operator of a retirement facility in Columbus, Georgia, will have to pay $78,000 to a receptionist to settle an age and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Noble, who had worked for Covenant for 14 years, returned to her job after a brief hospitalization to find a new, younger employee seated at her desk, the EEOC alleged.
Covenant Woods is owned by Chattanooga, Tennessee-based BrightSpace Senior Living, which operates a handful of retirement communities in four states.
"We at Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living resolved this case due to the cost of litigating it," BrightSpace Chief Financial Officer Brian Hendricks said in a statement.
Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living remain committed to compliance with all discrimination and labor and employment laws.".
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act only applies to workers who are at least 40 years of age.
The 1975 law doesn't protect workers under 40 from age discrimination, although some states offer similar safeguards for younger employees. »