EEOC: Indiana-Based Pharmaceutical Corporation Sued for Age Discrimination

Lilly USA, LLC, a pharmaceutical corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, violated federal law by intentionally failing to hire older workers based on their age for pharmaceutical sales representative positions from April 2017 to 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s suit, in 2017, Lilly’s senior vice president for human resources and diversity recognized at a Leadership Town Hall that Lilly’s workforce was composed of older workers. The senior vice president then announced goals for “Early Career” hiring to add more millennials to Lilly’s workforce. Thereafter, Lilly changed its hiring preferences and intentionally under-hired older candidates for sales representative positions in favor of younger candidates based on their age.

Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act which prohibits discrimination against applicants age 40 and over. The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division (EEOC v. Lilly USA, LLC, Case No. 1-22-cv-01882) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency seeks back pay and liquidated damages for applicants subjected to unlawful age discrimination. The suit also seeks injunctive relief to prevent and correct age discrimination and training of Lilly’s managers and supervisors about federal equal employment opportunity laws.