Wrongful discharge complaint filed against Phila. investment firm

A Plymouth Meeting, Pa. woman who alleges she was fired from her job at an investment firm for discriminatory reasons has filed a wrongful discharge complaint against her former employer in state court.

Diane Beahan, 56, claims in her lawsuit that she was fired from her job at Philadelphia-based VTL Associates two years ago “for untrue reasons because of her advanced age and/or her complaints of age discrimination.”

The civil action, which was filed Dec. 12 at Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court by Bensalem, Pa. attorney Ari R. Karpf, alleges that the defendants, VTL Associates and its principal, Vincent T. Lowry, unlawfully discriminated against Beahan when she was suspended and subsequently fired from her job in the spring of 2009.

The lawsuit does not state the company’s alleged reason for the termination.

According to the complaint, Beahan began working for VTL Associates as an investment consultant back in 2000. She subsequently followed defendant Lowry when he formed his own company in late 2004.

The suit claims that Behan was the oldest employee during her time with the company.

“During her employment with Defendants, Defendants repeatedly discriminated against Plaintiff because of her age, including but not limited to holding training meetings with the other employees of Defendant Corporation without notifying Plaintiff, treating her disparately, and selectively enforcing policies,” the lawsuit states.

The employees who attended the aforementioned training meetings were all under age 40, the suit claims.

The complaint further alleges that Lowry “intentionally overloaded plaintiff with work” and that he did not do the same to younger employees.

The suit alleges that during her employment with the defendants, Beahan made several complaints to Lowry regarding the treatment she was receiving at work, specifically the age discrimination she was experiencing.

Lowry, however, made demeaning and discriminatory comments towards Beahan because of her age and due to her complaints of age discrimination, the lawsuit claims.

The suit also alleges that employees under 40 with similar job duties as Beahan would receive regular pay raises and bonuses, but the plaintiff never received the same.

In March 2009, Beahan was suspended from her job for “untrue reasons,” although the lawsuit doesn’t specify what those alleged reasons were.

She was fired from her job soon after, the suit claims.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating Philadelphia’s Fair Practices Ordinances.

Beahan seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to attorney’s fees, interest, delay damages and other court relief.

A jury trial is being demanded.

The case number is 111201241.