DORCHESTER WOMAN FILES SUIT IN DISTRICT COURT …
A South Carolina woman is suing Daimler, claiming the German automaker subjected her to “wanton and intentional” discrimination on the basis of her age.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Charleston, S.C., Nancy W. Chappell of Dorchester County, S.C. claims the discrimination she was subjected to forced her to involuntarily retire from the company in February.
Chappell began working for Daimler in 2011 at the age of fifty-three. According to her lawsuit, she was “at all times … efficient and effective in her work.” Nonetheless, she claims her superiors repeatedly passed her over for “bonuses and promotions” – giving her duties and responsibilities to younger employees.
In one instance, during an October 2013 team meeting, Chappell claims Daimler Trucks North America’s CEO Marco Wirtz told managers at the company to “send him the names of their promising talent.
Chappell says she asked Wirtz after the meeting whether she was considering “promising talent.”
“Nancy, you’re too old,” Wirtz allegedly responded.
The following February, after receiving high marks on her annual performance review, Chappell claims she inquired as to the possibility of “moving up in the company.”
At this point Wirtz is alleged to have informed her that “the (Defendants) don’t invest in people your age.”
To view the lawsuit for yourself, click here (.pdf).
According to reporter Aimee Green of The Oregonian, Daimler Trucks North America was ordered by a jury to pay $1.2 million to a 57-year-old engineer in a separate age discrimination case.
That verdict was handed down just two months ago.
Daimler broke ground two weeks ago on a $500 million assembly plant in the South Carolina Lowcountry that government officials have said will create 1,300 new jobs.