Wheeler County Settles Age Discrimination Lawsuit

By Amelia Templeton | April 15, 2010 9:03 a.m. | Updated: June 16, 2010 11:56 p.m. | Portland, OR

Wheeler County has agreed to settle an age discrimination lawsuit for $25,000. Patricia Hyatt applied to work as an office assistant with the county assessor in 2006. She was 67 at the time and had 40 years of office experience.  The county did not interview Hyatt and eventually hired a much younger candidate with less experience.  Marcie Mitchell, a trial attorney with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, represented Hyatt.  "She initially suspected that she had been the target of age discrimination when she received a letter that informed her she had been rejected based on her work experience, longevity, or other factors.," she said.Wheeler county will pay Hyatt for lost wages. In addition, it has agreed to conduct anti-discrimination training for its staff.  Last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed more than 20,000 charges of age discrimination.

© 2010 OPB

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