On behalf of Warren & Siurek, L.L.P. posted in Employment Disputes on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
As workers age, their employers may view them as more of a liability than an asset. Long-term tenure is not always valued and these employees may be mistreated or even fired as a result of age discrimination. JC Penney is being accused of such discrimination by one of its former Texas employees, resulting in a case being filed in federal court.
The plaintiff began working at JC Penney as a senior manager of loss prevention in 2009. During his tenure he received several accolades for his good work, but all that changed in 2015. At the beginning of the year, the plaintiff was told that there was a investigation being conducted and he was being suspended.
According to his complaint, he was not given any of information about the supply chain investigation. The only instruction he purported received was to exit the building and leave his laptop behind. Four days later, he was allegedly called to a meeting room and asked if he had talked about the ongoing investigation.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the plaintiff was allegedly led out of the office by security guards. A week later, the Texas man said that he was fired on the pretense that he had jeopardized the investigation. The 64-year-old contends that the reason he was fired was because of his age. He is accusing JC Penney of age discrimination and violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. He is seeking legal fees, lost wages and benefits and that his case be heard by a jury.
