Employer who fired 78-year-old receptionist must now pay her $78,000
CBSN
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.