NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a lawsuit May 9 against Diverse Lynx, an IT staffing company in Princeton, New Jersey, for allegations age discrimination.
According to EEOC, Diverse Lynx failed to refer a job applicant after learning of the applicant’s date of birth. The company purportedly sent the applicant an email stating that “age will matter,” and that, because he was “born in 1945,” it could not consider him for the position.
"Federal laws plainly prohibit employment agencies and staffing firms from engaging in age discrimination," said Kevin Berry, the EEOC's New York District director. "The firm told the man, 'age will matter.' Actually, the only things that matter are abilities and qualifications, and the EEOC is here to help make sure that's the way it is in American workplaces."
The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. EEOC senior trial attorney Rosemary DiSavino will handle the case.
“Apparently, Diverse Lynx wasn't very diverse in its referral practices,” DiSavino said. “Sometimes the EEOC must take action to remind employers that age discrimination is inexcusable and unlawful."
The EEOC's New York District Office, which is overseeing this case, has jurisdiction in New York, northern New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.