NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced March 8 that Diverse Lynx LLC, an IT staffing firm based in Princeton, New Jersey and Noisa, India, will pay $50,000 after allegations of age discrimination.
"A basic principle of anti-discrimination law requires that job applicants be judged on their individual qualifications. Employers and employment agencies that consider an applicant's protected trait, such as age, violate federal law and will be prosecuted," EEOC senior trial attorney Rosemary DiSavino said in a statement.
According to allegations, an applicant was denied employment at Diverse Lynx because of his age. The company purportedly sent him an email that stated he would not be considered for the position because he was “born in 1945” and “age will matter.”
"This case should send a clear message that federal anti-discrimination laws apply to employment agencies as well as employers,” said Kevin Berry, district director of the EEOC's New York District Office, in a statement. “An employment agency's refusal to refer a qualified applicant because of the applicant's age is a plain violation of the ADEA."
EEOC’s New York District Office manages agency operations for New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and most of New Jersey.