Jerome Dobson obtained a verdict on behalf of a man who alleged that his employer demoted him and discharged him because of his age and in retaliation for filing a complaint of discrimination. The plaintiff worked as a branch manager for a distribution company in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for several years. After hearing comments that the company wanted to bring in “younger blood” and younger managers, the plaintiff, who was 65 years old at the time, filed a complaint of age discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.
Two weeks later, the company demoted the plaintiff to a sales job and replaced him with a younger employee. The company then claimed that the plaintiff was not performing his job as a salesman and suspended him without pay for two years before terminating his employment.
After a five-day trial, a jury awarded the plaintiff $160,000 in damages on his age discrimination claim and $600,000 in damages on his retaliation claim, which included $500,000 in punitive damages.