The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against a car dealership that fired a nearly 18-year-old employee who had undergone heart bypass surgery.
The EEOC said that in the days before the employee returned from a short medical leave after she underwent surgery, the owner of Amarillo, Texas-based Pet’s Car Smart Inc. told the employee, who was 68, that she needed to retire or face being fired because he didn’t feel she could do her job anymore.
The EEOC also said that prior to her termination, the owner made comments about her age, including comments about her hair color and that she had “old-timer̵
7;s disease” as well as making disparaging comments about her health and physical agility.She had served as the dealership’s finance manager/controller/office manager, according to the lawsuit, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Vs. Pete’s Car Smart Inc.which was filed in US District Court in Amarillo.
The company was accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Age in Discrimination Act.
The agency is looking back–pay damages, reinstatement or back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief, including an injunction prohibiting the employer from engaging in future discriminatory treatment.
A lawyer for the retailer did not respond to a request for comment.
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