MALDEF Joins Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against AARP
AARP is accused of failing to promote well-qualified employees to managerial positions based on their race and national origin
February 17, 2010
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, MALDEF announced that it has joined as co-counsel in a lawsuit against AARP, the United States' largest membership organization of older Americans, for racial discrimination, national origin discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. The case, Moreno v. AARP, was filed in California Superior Court in Sacramento County, on behalf of plaintiff Michael Moreno, former Associate State Director for Advocacy for AARP California, Interim State Director of AARP Mississippi and the Southwestern Associate Regional Director.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel, MALDEF stated, “With our nation’s significant and fast-growing Latino population over 50, it is critical that an organization as important as AARP include and incorporate Latinos at all levels of leadership. This legal action seeks to ensure that AARP takes the necessary steps to achieve that imperative."
MALDEF and attorneys from Dickson Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams, LLP are alleging that AARP has a pattern or practice of failing and refusing to promote Latinos and Native Americans. The complaint details numerous incidents of race and national origin discrimination including subjecting Mr. Moreno to differential treatment such as denying him promotional opportunities and eliminating his position and then refusing to hire him for any of the new positions created. In addition, after assisting other AARP employees to file sexual harassment complaints and filing his own discrimination complaint against AARP, Mr. Moreno alleges that he was wrongfully terminated and a victim of retaliation by AARP.
“Mr. Moreno reminds us that even our nation's most respected organizations can discriminate against some of our most talented and well-qualified workers through their employment practices,” stated Sharon R. Vinick, attorney, Dickson Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams, LLP. “It is our goal to ensure that AARP make every effort to remedy past, present and future instances of this kind of discriminatory behavior.”
With over 40 million members AARP operates offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The case, Moreno v. AARP, has been jointly filed by MALDEF and Vinick and Kathryn Burkett Dickson of Dickson Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams, LLP. The complaint can be found here: http://maldef.org/assets/pdf/complaint_amended_moreno_aarp.pdf.
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