Employee fired for asking out much younger woman could be age bias
An employee was fired after asking out a woman at a neighboring business, but his company ended up in court when the worker claimed his age was the problem, not his behavior.
Here’s a breakdown of the case.
Highly inappropriate behavior?
Brett Granet worked at Presidio Inc. in Pennsylvania, and had a history of poor performance and unprofessionalism.
Granet, a 54-year-old man, got into the habit of going to a neighboring business to visit a 21-year-old worker. Eventually, Granet asked her out on a date.
The president of the woman’s company called Presidio to complain about this behavior, which he believed to be highly inappropriate.
The VP of Presidio called Granet into his office and reportedly said, “Why are you asking a woman much younger than yourself out to dinner?” The VP then told Granet he’d probably lose his job.
When Granet was forced to resign two days later, he filed a lawsuit, claiming age discrimination. He pointed to the comments the VP made, claiming the age difference between himself and the woman was the only reason he was fired.
A district court agreed with Granet, saying the VP’s comments were direct evidence of discrimination.
This case acts as a reminder for managers to be careful about age-related comments.
Cite: Granet v. Presidio, 10/20/20.
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