Bank Fired Two Women Because of Age and Sex, Federal Agency Charged
BOK Financial Corporation, doing business as the Bank of Albuquerque, will pay $230,000 and furnish other relief to settle an age and sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.
According to the EEOC's suit, the bank fired two managers, Elizabeth Morantes and Yolanda Fernandez, who were long-time employees, because of their gender and because they were over 40 years of age. The EEOC said the bank's purported reasons for firing the women were based on criteria that were not applied to younger male managers and employees.
The EEOC filed suit, EEOC v. BOK Financial Corporation dba Bank of Albuquerque, (CV 11-01132-ALB-RCB-LAM), in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque, after exhausting its conciliation efforts to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.
Besides the monetary relief, BOK also agreed to refrain from any future discrimination; post an anti-discrimination notice; provide training; and to report to the EEOC on its compliance with these terms.
"Longtime employees should not be jettisoned because of their age or gender," said EEOC Regional Attorney Mary Jo O'Neill. "Such practices violate federal law as well as basic fairness."
Rayford O. Irvin, district director of the EEOC's Phoenix District Office, added, "We will continue to vigorously pursue our mission of fighting employment discrimination on all fronts, including discrimination based on both age and sex."
Source: EEOC
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educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
