Age and Gender Discrimination Claim Filed Against Real Estate Giant
A multi-million dollar age and sex discrimination lawsuit has just been filed against real-estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. According to sources, the discrimination lawsuit was filed in New York state court and alleged that the company failed to promote a 66-year-old female executive in favor of a 38-year-old males. The lawsuit alleges that the woman was passed over for promotion in favor of a younger, less experienced male.
Lawsuits alleging discrimination can often be filed in either state or federal court. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sets makes many forms of discrimination illegal, including race, color, sex, national origin and religion. If you have questions about employment discrimination an experienced Atlanta discrimination attorney can provide you critical guidance concerning your next steps.
In this instance, the woman alleged that an executive officer had repeatedly told her that the “job was hers” but that she was denied the position. Comments supporting the decision noted that “he was a “young guy” and that the chief executive officer had previously stated that “we need young, people, we need young management, we need young people in this office.”
The woman also made several other claims of bias, including that that she was denied equal pay. She specifically stated that, despite managing significantly more brokers than two different leaders in New York and New Jersey, she was paid $100,000 less than her male counterparts.
She also raised the following other questions:
⇒ That the company promised to pay her $300,000/year but breached her contract by reducing her salary.
⇒ That the company retaliated against her after she complain of sex bias by stripping her of many of her managing director duties
It’s important to remember that a claim of retaliation doesn’t mean simply that you were discharged for making a complaint. It means almost any negative action by your employer against you (or even against a family member or friend) in response to your complaint about discrimination, or for participating as a witness in someone else’s discrimination case. The U.S. Supreme Court has recently defined retaliation quite broadly, to include any conduct by an employer that would tend to deter reasonable people from pursuing their rights.
Claims supporting possible retaliation include:
⇒ She was not given a promised promotion and job title ⇒ She was excluded from key decisions ⇒ Her authority was questioned
If these allegations are true, they underscore the very real difficulties faced by older Americans who have significant experience and tenure. Often rather than being appreciated for their contributions they face discrimination in favor of younger, less experienced workers.
For more questions about age discrimination or if you believe that you may have been unlawfully discriminated against at work, please contact the dedicated Atlanta discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.