SCRANTON - A Jewish man who worked as sales director for MediaNews in Scranton alleges religious discrimination, including a co-worker telling him he was good with money because of his religion.
MediaNews Group, a newspaper publisher, is facing a lawsuit filed by Robert Fein for alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA).
The suit was filed on March 13 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Fein alleges that MediaNews Group engaged in discriminatory treatment through its managers, supervisors, agents, and employees.
Fein worked for Times-Shamrock Communications in August 2023 when it was purchased by MediaNews, which gave him the position of vice president of sales.
Fein, who was born in 1957, says a supervisor asked him in September 2023 when he was going to retire, which led him to feel pressured into retirement. He alleges this constitutes age discrimination.
The same supervisor, when finding out Fein was Jewish, said something to the effect of, "Oh, you are Jewish. That's why you are in sales as your people are good with money," the suit alleges.
Fein was fired later that month without cause at 65 years old, he alleges.
David Koller of Koller Law represents Fein.