EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.–Scott Credit Union has responded to a lawsuit by a former employee who is alleging age discrimination, stating the termination resulted from legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons unrelated to her age.
In response to the suit filed by Deborah Willis, Scott Credit Union’s attorneys, Thomas Berry and Carrie Kinsella of Jackson Lewis in St. Louis, wrote, "Defendant would have made the same employment decisions regardless of Plaintiff's age. Plaintiff is not entitled to relief inasmuch as damages allegedly suffered or experienced were due, either in whole or in part to Plaintiff's own contributory or comparative negligence.”
Willis has claimed in her lawsuit that Scott Credit Union violated the Illinois Human Rights Act. A trial date of July 17 has been set.
According to the Willis’ complaint, she joined the credit union as an assistant branch manager in December of 2007 and was eventually named employee of the year in 2013. In April of 2014, Willis said, she was relocated to the credit union Highland facility. From September of 2014 through early 2015, Willis said the credit union issued a series of charges against the plaintiff that did not qualify as formal discipline. In the suit, Willis alleges these charges were made for the sole purposes of creating a basis upon which Willis could be terminated replaced with a younger employee.
Willis is further alleging that three other long-standing employees, each of whom was older than 40, were terminated and replaced by three younger, but inexperienced, employees.
In its response, Scott Credit Union is denying the allegations and said that it also terminated the employment of other employees not within the protected age group.