EEOC Alleges Bank Fired Employees Due to Age and Gender

January 4, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The Bank of Albuquerque discharged two managers because they were women and over 40 years of age.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges BOK Financial Corporation, doing business as the Bank of Albuquerque, unlawfully discharged managers Elizabeth Morantes and Yolanda Fernandez. The EEOC’s lawsuit also alleges that another employee, Betty Brewer, was disciplined because of her gender and age.

The lawsuit states the two managers—who were long-time employees of the bank—were discharged and Brewer was disciplined for reasons not applied to younger male managers and employees. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which bars discrimination on the basis of age above 40.

The EEOC filed suit, EEOC v. BOK Financial Corporation dba Bank of Albuquerque, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in Albuquerque, after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement. The agency is seeking monetary relief for the three victims, as well an injunction prohibiting the bank from engaging in any further discriminatory practices.

Tara Cantore
editors@plansponsor.com