Indiana Company to Pay $100K to Resolve Age Discrimination Suit

Seymour Midwest, a Warsaw, Ind., hand tool manufacturing company, will pay $100,000 and furnish other relief to resolve an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced.

According to EEOC’s suit, Seymour Midwest selected Steve Maril from a pool of applicants for its senior vice president of sales position to participate in an initial, email-based interview. In addition to questions about Maril’s experience and willingness to relocate, Seymour Midwest asked if he was within its ideal age range of 45-52. When Seymour Midwest learned Maril was older than their ideal age range, Seymour Midwest refused to hire him.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits age-based discrimination against individuals who are at least 40 years of age. The EEOC filed suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (EEOC v. Seymour Midwest LLC, Case No. 3:15-cv-350) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

Under the consent decree, Seymour Midwest also must stop collecting age information about applicants before making a job offer, train its hiring personnel, issue and post a notice from its president of its commitment to federal nondiscrimination laws, and periodic compliance reporting.