RadioShack is learning an expensive lesson: You can’t fire people just for being old.
David Nelson, a RadioShack regional manager, got his walking papers in 2008. He says his firing came just after his boss made a derogatory remark about his age.
I wrote about Mr. Nelson in September after he won $187,000 in backpay from RadioShack in a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lawsuit allege age discrimination and retaliation. This week, a federal court awarded Mr. Nelson additional consideration – upping the judgment to $675,000.
“We are heartened that the jury saw RadioShack’s retaliatory behavior for what it was,” said EEOC attorney William Moench.
RadioShack has not commented on the case and has said it might consider an appeal.
The Great Recession has led to a lot of firings. Last year, the EEOC said it received 37,826 charges alleging retaliation and discrimination, the most it’s received in its history.
Click here to read the column I wrote about the case in September.
Click here to read more about the case from the EEOC.
