Texas Company to Pay $85K to Settle Age Discrimination Suit

Federal officials say a Fort Worth, Texas-based company will pay $85,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit.

The suit against Atlas Energy Group LLC was brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Under the settlement, Atlas Energy also has agreed to furnish significant relief to settle lawsuit brought by the federal agency.

The had EEOC charged that a then 52-year old production foreman with more than 20 years of industry experience was pushed out of his job because of his age by a new, young superintendent. The production foreman was considered “very knowledgeable” by the pumpers and field operators he supervised.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects individuals age 40 and over from employment discrimination because of their age, including discrimination in discharge decisions. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (EEOC v. Atlas Energy Group LLC, Civil Action No. 3:17-cv-01582), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

A three-year consent decree settling the suit was signed by U.S. District Court Judge David C. Godbey on April 19, 2019. In addition to paying $85,000 in monetary relief to the production foreman, the decree enjoins Atlas Energy Group from engaging in age discrimination in the future. The company has also agreed to provide training on age discrimination to its managerial and human resources employees, post a notice of employee rights under the ADEA, and report future complaints of age discrimination to the EEOC.

Source: EEOC