What Actions Constitute Age Discrimination?

According to recent employment law reports, a man has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against 7-Eleven, the national convenience store chain. The employment discrimination claim asserts that a 73-year-old man was hired by a convenience store seven years ago as a cashier. The man earned $9.25 an hour. However, in January 2014, 7-Eleven took over the store and the man allegedly began to suffer discrimination from younger managers. For example, the managers complained of him being “too slow.” Furthermore, after he explained to them that he suffered from various disabilities that affected his functional capacity, the managers were unsympathetic and moved him from cashier duties to more physically demanding jobs such as sweeping, mopping, and pulling weeds. Younger employees did not endure the same treatment.

The complaint further states that the man was constructively discharged a few months later, without ever having been formally disciplined and without a reasonable explanation for the disparate treatment, and without suggestions or meaningful discussions of reasonable accommodations.

Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to make efforts to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. The type of accommodation generally depends on the type of job and the nature of the disability. Furthermore, according to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), your employer may not discriminate against you on the basis of your age, and you are also protected from harassment on the basis of your age.

The man is seeking damages and back wages.

For more information or if you believe that you have been subject to any type of employment discrimination, please contact the experienced Georgia employment age discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.