55-Year-Old Employee Overhears Manager Say “Old Littman Girls Were Set in Their Ways” and Is Fired For Reporting Age Discrimination.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Employee Files Lawsuit against Littman Jewelers & Kroger for Age Discrimination

Sharon returned to work for Littman Jewelers and Kroger in November 2005 as a sales associate. She had previously worked for the company from 1989 until 2002. And now at the age of fifty-five, Sharon was older than her manager. Originally assigned 25 hours a week, Sharon hoped to increase her work hours to 32 hours per week due to past experience and her union seniority.

When Sharon approached her manager about working more hours, her request was denied. According to Sharon, the manager told her to quit if she wasn’t happy. But Sharon wanted to continue working. She noticed that the manager often made comments about the “old Littman girls were set in their ways” and that the company “needed some young blood.”

When the comments occurred more often, Sharon filed an internal report. Two weeks later, the regional manager demanded that she come to the back of the store. He yelled at her to not talk about her union contract, her hours or scheduling. Shocked by the manager’s intensity, Sharon felt threatened. She emailed a report of the incident to the union president and copied the HR department.

A meeting was called, but when Sharon tried to share what happened, she was continually interrupted. Nothing was resolved. And then, in the following months, a pattern began to emerge. She received a write-up for using her approved employee discount. Then, her hours were cut during their busy holiday season. Finally, when she tried to suggest she was facing discrimination for her age, Sharon’s manager became furious, allegedly yelling that she should be fired.

On that day, Sharon filed an age discrimination complaint with the EEOC. The following weeks included a write-up for Sharon for talking about work hours with other employees, and then eight days before the sale period ended, she received a write up for not meeting the period’s sales goal. Sharon suspected the incidents as further proof of age discrimination and reported them internally. A week after the sales goal write-up, Sharon was fired for allegedly creating a hostile work environment.

Sharon suspects that Littman Jewelers and Kroger accused and fired her for hostile work environment because she complained about age discrimination and retaliation. As a client of KM&A, she fights for her rights. KM&A challenges employers who allow discrimination and retaliation occur in their workplace.

 

Full text of this complaint, as filed with the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is available at docket no: 2:18-cv-03130-ER

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC is an employment law firm with principal offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, serving all counties in Pennsylvania, focusing on employment law, business law, litigation, and civil issues. KM&A clients include employees, small businesses, parties in litigation, and people with a variety of legal issues.

For more information about this case, contact Attorney Jonathan Chase at (215) 475-3504  or at jwc@lawkm.com.

NOTICE: All information contained in this statement comes from the Complaint which has been filed as a public record with the court. As dedicated civil rights attorneys, we strongly believe in the public value of telling our clients’ stories: violators can be held accountable, and other silent victims can feel empowered to stand up for their legal rights. Although we make every attempt to verify our clients’ claims, note that the defendant is expected to oppose our client’s position, and the court has not ruled one way or the other as of the date of this statement.