An Arizona medical-products maker has settled U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that the company laid off eight older workers because of their age at its Northglenn facility.
The company, Scottsdale- based Medegen Medical Products, has agreed to pay $634,595 to resolve the claims, according to the EEOC.
Medegen agreed to settle to avoid litigation and denies guilt, said the company’s lawyer, Jonathan E. Kaplan.
“Medegen has always, and will continue to, remain strongly committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity,” said Charles Stroupe, chief executive of Medegen.
The EEOC filed suit in Denver in September, claiming the company unfairly targeted older workers for termination in 2003.
Shortly after the eight were laid off, Medegen advertised job openings for positions that some of the terminated employees could have performed, the suit said. The employees ranged in age from 49 to 63.
“Although some of the older employees were told that their jobs were being eliminated, younger employees assumed their job duties or were hired for the ‘eliminated’ positions after the eight … were terminated,” the suit said.
