Current:Home > reviewsEmployer who fired 78-year-old receptionist must now pay her $78,000 -Quantum Capital Pro
Employer who fired 78-year-old receptionist must now pay her $78,000
View
Date:2025-04-13 06:58:52
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.
Shirley Noble was 78 when she was terminated from her job at Covenant Woods Senior Living in February of 2022 — one month after being honored as a 2021 employee of the year — according to a lawsuit filed by the agency in federal court.
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. At a meeting with her manager the following day, Noble was questioned about whether she needed to continue working and how long she saw herself continuing in the workforce, according to the complaint.
Noble expressed a desire to continue working for two or three more years, but the next day was told she was being let go due to a loss of confidence in her abilities, with her hospitalization cited as a concern that led to the decision, the EEOC alleged.
"Employers have a responsibility to evaluate an employee's performance without regard to age, if the employee is 40 and over, and without regard to an actual or perceived disability," Marcus Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC's Atlanta district office, said in a statement on Tuesday.
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. "We do not admit wrongdoing or discriminatory conduct as part of this resolution. Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living remain committed to compliance with all discrimination and labor and employment laws."
Kate GibsonKate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.
veryGood! (35)
Related
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Man trapped in jewelry vault overnight is freed when timer opens the chamber as scheduled
- 'The Voice': Gwen Stefani threatens to 'spank' singer Chechi Sarai after 'insecure' performance
- Snow hits northern Cascades and Rockies in the first major storm of the season after a warm fall
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- NYU student, criticized and lost job offer for Israel-Hamas remarks, speaks out
- Driver in Malibu crash that killed 4 college students is held on $8 million bail, authorities say
- California school district offering substitute teachers $500 per day to cross teachers' picket line
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Looking for 'nomance': Study finds teens want less sex in their TV and movies
Ranking
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Amazon's Holiday Beauty Haul Is Here: Save on COSRX, CHI & More
- Top Missouri lawmaker repays travel reimbursements wrongly taken from state
- Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Are Feeling Obsessed at TIME100 Next 2023 Red Carpet Event
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Denver Nuggets receive 2023 NBA championship rings: Complete details
- Driver in Malibu crash that killed 4 Pepperdine students arrested on murder charges
- Actor Cedric Beastie Jones Dead at 46
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Meta sued by states claiming Instagram and Facebook cause harm in children and teens
North Carolina woman charged in death of assisted living resident pushed to floor, police say
NHL rescinds ban on rainbow-colored Pride tape, allowing players to use it on the ice this season
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
Candidates spar over key tax issue in final gubernatorial debate before Kentucky election
A manufacturing company in Ohio has found success with a 4-day workweek
A century after her birth, opera great Maria Callas is honored with a new museum in Greece