Home Health & Hospice Week

Industry Notes:

Hawaii HHA Slapped With Age Discrimination Suit

Lawsuits from employees don't just come in the false claims or wage and hour varieties.

Case in point: The U.S. Equal Employ-ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Hawaii Healthcare Professionals Inc., also known as Hawaii Professional HomeCare Services Inc., a Honolulu-based home care company that serves Oahu, Maui, and Kauai.

The EEOC says owner Carolyn Frutoz-de Harne ordered the termination of a then-54-year-old office coordinator from its Maui facility in February 2008, according to The Maui News. Despite reports that the office coordinator was a thorough and efficient worker, the EEOC charges that the owner made disparaging remarks about her indicating that she "looked old," "like a bag of bones," and that she "sounds old on the telephone," according to an EEOC release.

The EEOC filed suit in federal court after failing to reach a pre-litigation settlement, it says. It seeks back pay and damages for the worker, Debra Moreno, as well as an injunction against further age discriminatory behavior.

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