White River Health System, Inc., a provider of healthcare services throughout North Central Arkansas, violated federal law by removing a class of employees from their positions because of their age, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed February 7, 2020. According to the EEOC’s suit, on or about Oct. 23, 2018, the company’s area director told two senior center directors, then ages 77 and 80, that the company had decided to terminate their employment effective immediately because White River Health’s insurance policy excluded anyone over the age of 72 from driving. The EEOC further charges that White River Health removed other employees over the age of 72 from their positions for the same reason. The company made no attempt to secure alternative driver’s insurance that would cover the employees, the EEOC said. Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay and liquidated damages, as well as an injunction against future discrimination.
