Current:Home > MyEmployer who fired 78-year-old receptionist must now pay her $78,000 -Summit Capital Strategies
Employer who fired 78-year-old receptionist must now pay her $78,000
View
Date:2025-04-14 12:51:45
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! (835)
Related
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- New Jersey overall gambling revenue up 10.4% in April, but in-person casino winnings were down
- Struggling Blue Jays aren't alone in MLB's brutal offensive landscape – but 'it still sucks'
- South Africa urges UN’s top court to order cease-fire in Gaza to shield citizens in Rafah
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Philadelphia still the 6th-biggest U.S. city, but San Antonio catching up, census data shows
- Four takeaways from our investigation into police agencies selling their guns
- Latinos found jobs and cheap housing in a Pennsylvania city but political power has proven elusive
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Murder trial set for September for Minnesota trooper who shot motorist during freeway stop
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- 2 dead, 2 injured in early morning explosion at a rural Ohio home: Reports
- Netflix confirms 'Happy Gilmore 2' with Adam Sandler: What we know
- Justice Department moves forward with easing federal restrictions on marijuana
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Half of Amazon warehouse workers struggle to cover food, housing costs, report finds
- Wisconsin election officials fear voter confusion over 2 elections for same congressional seat
- The Bachelor's Rachel Nance Reveals Where She Stands With Joey Grazadei and Kelsey Anderson Now
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
NRA kicks off annual meeting as board considers successor to longtime leader Wayne LaPierre
Review: Proudly bizarre 'I Saw the TV Glow will boggle your mind – and that's the point
Nevada Supreme Court denies appeal from Washoe County election-fraud crusader Beadles
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Who plays Colin, Eloise and Penelope in 'Bridgerton'? See the full Season 3 cast
Atlanta officer charged with killing his Lyft driver
3.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Dyersburg, Tennessee; no damage, injuries reported so far