Firm’s Age Discrimination Case Against Investment Bank to Proceed to Hearing

The Long Island employment lawyers at Famighetti & Weinick PLLC obtained a decision that probable cause exists to believe that a national investment bank discriminated and retaliated against their client. The case will be scheduled for a public hearing at the New York State Division of Human Rights.

The age discrimination and retaliation case was brought on behalf of one of the bank’s traders. According to the allegations in the case, the trader had been successfully working on Wall Street for decades. Then, co-workers and supervisors began subjecting the trader to a hostile work environment based on his age. The abusive conduct consisted of age based jokes and comments, some of which were documented in e-mails. The complaint filed with the New York State Division of Human Rights detailed other improper hostile workplace conduct directed at the trader based on his age.

Further, the trader complained about the age discrimination on multiple occasions, also at times in writing. Despite these complaints, the hostile work environment continued. The trader opposed other unlawful discriminatory conduct in the workplace and after one such time, a supervisor threatened to run the trader out of the company. Indeed, soon after these complaints, the bank issued a poor performance evaluation to the trader and removed from him many of his top accounts. The complaint alleged that the reasons the bank gave the trader for removing the accounts were demonstrably untrue. Ultimately, the bank terminated the trader’s employment.

On the trader’s behalf, the employment lawyers at Famighetti & Weinick PLLC filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights. The Division is responsible for investigating claims of workplace discrimination and retaliation. The complaint alleged that the investment bank engaged in unlawful age discrimination by subjecting the trader to a hostile work environment and terminating him under circumstances which infer age discrimination. Further, the complaint alleged that the bank retaliated against the trader for making his complaints of age discrimination and for opposing other unlawful behavior in the workplace.

The New York State Division of Human Rights investigated the claims over the course of several months, including interviewing the trader. Famighetti & Weinick PLLC submitted evidence and a detailed statement arguing the legal basis for finding that the bank engaged in discrimination and retaliation.

The Division then issued a decision determining that probable cause exists to support the allegations of the complaint. Next, the Division will schedule a public hearing which is the equivalent of a trial. At the public hearing, Famighetti & Weinick PLLC’s employment lawyers will present evidence to prove the discrimination, retaliation, and damages, and an administrative law judge will decide the case.

The Long Island age discrimination lawyers at Famighetti & Weinick PLLC are experienced in prosecuting claims of age discrimination and retaliation at the New York State Division of Human Rights, at the EEOC, and in state and federal courts. Our employment lawyers help employees through the process of filing a complaint with the State Division, through the investigation process, and at a trial or public hearing.

For more information about age discrimination, retaliation, public hearings, or the New York State Division of Human Rights, contact one of our Long Island employment attorneys at 631-352-0050. We are available on the internet at http://linycemploymentlaw.com.

Probable cause determined in age discrimination case