The Laurels of Athens, a skilled nursing facility in Athens, OH, has been ordered to pay $150,00 in response to charges of age and sex discrimination and retaliation, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision announced Tuesday.
The Southeast Ohio nursing and rehabilitation facility is owned and operated by Laurels Health Care Company, Athens LTC, Inc., Ciena Healthcare Management, Inc., and Ciena Group, LLC.
The lawsuit alleges that a 59-year-old physical therapy assistant lost his job after returning from medical leave, claiming he was terminated due to his age.
“The Laurels of Athens fired him and claimed there was no work available even though it offered work to other younger, female physical therapy assistants. The company also refused to rehire the employee after he filed a charge of discrimination,” the EEOC stated Tuesday.
Additionally, the SNF retaliated against the employee for complaining about discrimination, according to the federal agency.
“The EEOC is committed to remedying age and sex discrimination,” said Philadelphia District Office Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “Reporting discrimination to the EEOC is protected activity and employers who retaliate against employees for doing so will be held accountable.”
According to the EEOC, the firing of the physical therapist violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits age discrimination, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination.
A lawsuit was filed last fall by EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.
The two-year decree settling the suit requires the Laurels of Athens and others to pay $150,000 in back pay and compensatory damages, and to provide periodic reporting, monitoring, and live training for management, human resources, and non-supervisory employees to ensure compliance with the ADEA and Title VII.
