EMPLOYMENT LAW
Woman awarded $250,000 on age discrimination claim
On May 6, a jury awarded $250,000 to a worker after it found that age was a motivating factor in her firing. In 2006, Rhonda Barbour was an assembler for Williams-Pyro Inc., a company that tests military equipment. She claimed that her new supervisor commented about her body looking old, that she had gray hair and that he wanted to hire some younger women. The supervisor claimed that the comment about gray hair was a joke, noting that he has gray hair. Barbour said she reported the supervisor’s comments. She said she had no write-ups until those the new supervisor made a couple of weeks before her termination. Plaintiff’s counsel called co-workers who testified that Barbour was a great worker and easy to get along with.
