Discrimination is an unpleasant experience that no one should ever have to endure. Unfortunately, it’s also a common occurrence, especially in the workplace. One man in Tulare County, James K. Jordan, recently had an experience with age discrimination and filed a lawsuit as a result. According to his lawsuit, Jordan alleges “he was terminated from his job at a citrus company because of his age after 30 years” with Wonderful Citrus Packing LLC, a citrus packing company. The lawsuit itself was filed late last month in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Discrimination is an unpleasant experience that no one should ever have to endure. Unfortunately, it’s also a common occurrence, especially in the workplace. One man in Tulare County, James K. Jordan, recently had an experience with age discrimination and filed a lawsuit as a result. According to his lawsuit, Jordan alleges “he was terminated from his job at a citrus company because of his age after 30 years” with Wonderful Citrus Packing LLC, a citrus packing company. The lawsuit itself was filed late last month in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
When did the discrimination happen, though? What’s the story behind Jordan’s complaint? For starters, the incident occurred back on November 3, 2017, when, “despite being a loyal employee of the defendants for more than 25 years, was terminated at the age of 54 with no valid explanation as to why he’d been fired.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, the lawsuit also claims “he was replaced by someone much younger and with much less experience and qualifications” compared to Jordan’s “bachelor’s degree in plant science from Fresno State University.”
On top of his educational qualifications, Jordan also spent a large chunk of his career “managing and advising citrus farming operations,” and has worked loyally with Wonderful Citrus Packing, formerly known as Paramount Citrus Association, since 1991. Shortly after joining the company he began climbing the ladder and was eventually “named a ranch supervisor overseeing 1,870 acres,” according to the lawsuit. Responsibilities of that particular role included “supervising the application of fertilizer, pruning, pesticide and herbicide sprays, the administration of time cards for ranch employees, working with outside vendors, and managing water.” After excelling in his role as a ranch supervisor for many years, he was promoted to a ranch manager in 1999 and ultimately he was “promoted to senior farming director in charge of seven direct reports and more than 7,000 acres of citrus.”
“Mr. Jordan was well regarded by his supervisors, peers, and customers and was considered to be an excellent farmer and could get things done. He was able to execute at a high level and was the go-to guy for special projects. He was charged with helping develop and train new workers. Mr. Jordan’s contribution included developing the manner in which mandarin oranges were farmed.”
Because of his loyalty to the company and his dedication to helping the company succeed over the years, Jordan said “he wasn’t extended the courtesy of a valid explanation as to why he was being terminated on Nov. 3, 2017, was not provided with a fair opportunity to respond, and was not even offered a severance package or his bonus for the almost three decades of work.” Instead, the company allegedly “began spreading false rumors about him to justify the firing, including that he was involved with criminal activities, had been involved in changing time cards and was stealing from the company,” according to the lawsuit.
As a result of his experience, he decided to sue the company for age discrimination, along with breach of contract, wrongful termination, and “violation of California’s good faith and fair dealing laws, defamation of character, and emotional distress.” He hopes to receive monetary compensation for loss of wages, “punitive damages, attorneys fees and costs, non-economic damages” and any other type of compensation the court and jury deem fair.
Sources:
Tulare County man sues packing house for age discrimination
Man alleges he was terminated by Wonderful Citrus Packing because of age
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