EEOC Sues Insurance Broker for Age Discrimination

The EEOC charged that PJP Health Agency, Inc. (formerly known as Health and Life Direct Agency, Inc., Health and Life Agency, Inc. and also known as Philip Teseo Senior and Philip Teseo Senior Insurance) violated federal law by subjecting three employees older than 40 to age-based discrimination, including harassment, failure to promote, termination and retaliation for complaining of age discrimination.

According to the lawsuit, the company’s only three administrative staff members older than age 40 were subjected to offensive age-based comments. The EEOC said although the company was aware of the harassment and discrimination through numerous complaints of age discrimination, it failed to take appropriate action to investigate and correct the hostile work environment as required by law.

The EEOC also alleges the company failed to promote a 45-year-old woman because of her age and later retaliated by terminating her three days after meeting with her about her complaint of age discrimination. The company is also said to have terminated the employment of two men based on their ages, 57 and 61.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) lawsuit, EEOC v. PJP Health Agency, Inc. (Civil Number 2:13-cv-04092), is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The EEOC seeks to eliminate these discriminatory practices through injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination and to compensate the employees for lost wages and other monetary damages.