Laid off HR manager sues over job loss

A former human resources manager for a Pennsylvania healthcare company who claims she was laid off and replaced by a younger worker is suing her former employer in federal court.

Philadelphia attorney Stephanie J. Mensing, of Mensing Law LLC, filed the job discrimination lawsuit Sept. 1 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of Wanda Glover-Daniels of Wilmington, DE.

The defendant named in the complaint is Kennett Square, Pa.-based Genesis HealthCare Corporation, doing business as Liberty Court, Genesis Eldercare Network.

According to the complaint, Glover-Daniels, who worked at the company’s Liberty Court location at 1526 Lombard St. in Philadelphia, was hired as a payroll clerk in September 1988, a position she held until September 1997.

After that, Glover-Daniels was promoted to human resources manager, a position she held until April 2009, at which time she was told by her superiors that management had decided to restructure the human resources manager position, requiring the plaintiff to reapply for her job.

The company’s regional human resources manager as well as the administrator for the defendant who told Glover-Daniels her job would be up for grabs are both white while the plaintiff in this case is black, the lawsuit states.

In June 2009, the job was reposted internally and on the Internet, and Glover-Daniels reapplied, receiving an interview for the position later that month.

In August, management contacted Glover-Daniels and asked if she was still interested in the position, to which the plaintiff replied she was, but that she was going on a vacation at the end of the month, and wouldn’t be immediately available for a second interview, the suit states.

Eventually, Glover-Daniels underwent peer interviews and soon landed a second job interview with her superiors.

The next month, however, the plaintiff was told by her white managers that she wouldn’t be hired back for the position. Furthermore, Glover-Daniels was told she would be replaced by a 25-year-old white woman who allegedly did not meet the minimum job qualification requirements as set forth in the online job posting company representatives had put up during the hiring process, the suit states.

“Defendant unlawfully considered Plaintiff’s race and age in deciding to terminate Plaintiff’s employment and/or lay Plaintiff of and/or fail to hire Plaintiff for the Center HR Manager position,” the lawsuit claims. “Because of the Defendant’s discrimination, Plaintiff has suffered extreme harm including, but not limited to loss of compensation, wages, back and front pay, and other employment benefits.”

The lawsuit claims the defendant violated Glover-Daniels’ federal civil rights by discriminating against her on the basis of age and race. There is also a count of violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance.

Glover-Daniels seeks to have the company enjoined and restrained from continuing to engage in such unlawful practices.

She also seeks judgment against the defendant in the form of lost wages, fringe benefits, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

A jury trial has been demanded.

The federal case number is 2:11-cv-05519-LDD.