AARP Services, a division of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), must pay a gay employee approximately $2.1 million for illegally firing a gay employee in 2018.
A Washington, D.C. Superior Court jury on March 15 found “evidence” that Deus’ sexual orientation was a “material contributing factor” to the company’s decision to fire former AARP employee Richard A. Deus Jr. It ruled in his favor on the basis of “the preponderance of the law.” According to court documents.
According to court documents, the jury awarded Deus $1,612,916.18 in compensatory damages and $578,351 in emotional distress damages, which AARP Services is required to pay. The jury also awarded $1,118.89 from AARP Services for alleged breach of contract in its decision to terminate Mr. Deus.
“I am thrilled that the jury found that I was treated differently than my co-workers and that I was discharged in a discriminatory manner,” Deus said. Said The Washington Blade, an online publication that supports LGTBQ+. “That’s obviously what they discovered, and it caused them mental pain and suffering. But overall I’m happy. I’ve spent the last six years realizing that I’m different from everyone else. I have been fighting and telling people how I have been treated and today I am being vindicated.”
Deus, who was the company’s director of program management, filed suit against AARP Services in May 2018 after working for the company for 11 years. The complaint alleges that AARP Services fired him after he falsely accused him of accepting travel gifts from companies affiliated with AARP Services, in violation of the company’s ethics policy, violating the D.C. Human Rights Act. claims.
Specifically, the company fired Deus for attending the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans with AARP partner Allstate and for accepting a dinner and show from an AARP vendor in New York. Deus checked with management before attending, the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit points out that: “Countless AARP employees attend shows and sporting events and receive lunches and dinners paid for by AARP vendors and partners…” The suit alleges that all of these employees were heterosexual and that none of them were fired for that reason.
“As a result of Plaintiff’s work-related travel to the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Plaintiff’s supervisor and the Office of General Counsel approved the trip, even though other AARP employees were participating in the same business-related activity. Nevertheless, Plaintiff’s employment was terminated, although no adverse action was taken against anyone, one of which was discrimination based on Plaintiff’s sexual orientation and marital status; “This violates the D.C. Human Rights Act,” the complaint alleges, noting that Deus is married to another man.
“AARP has policies and/or practices that impose harsh discipline on homosexual employees, disregarding AARP’s progressive discipline policy for homosexual employees. “is permitted to participate in the disciplinary process,” the complaint continues.
The complaint cites the example of another gay AARP employee, Jack Saunders, whose social media accounts were hacked and the hacker then suggested another AARP employee.
“Rather than properly investigating this issue, AARP incorrectly and quickly determined that the gay employee violated AARP’s policies. AARP subsequently determined that the employee: In fact, “Social media had been hacked,” the complaint alleges. “AARP immediately fired the employee instead of allowing him to participate in AARP’s progressive disciplinary process.”
According to the Washington Blade, the employee filed his own lawsuit against AARP Services and reached a settlement.
The lawsuit also alleges that AARP Services “sought to recover work-related expenses” that Deus was reimbursed by the company.
“As a result, Plaintiff was referred to collections, which adversely affected, and will continue to adversely affect, Plaintiff’s credit rating,” the complaint states, adding that all expense reports were approved while Plaintiff was with the company. It has been pointed out that this was done.
The complaint also alleges that company management was not trained to recognize or prevent discrimination in the workplace. AARP now appears to be committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. according to Go to that website. For example, AARP states: gave a grant In 2021, it will be donated to Miami Beach Gay Pride Inc. for the Legacy Couples Project, which “recognizes same-sex couples who have been in a committed relationship for 10 years or more.”
Breitbart News asked AARP for more information about the DEI program and the lawsuit, but did not receive a response by press time.
The lawsuit names both AARP Services and then-CEO Lawrence Flanagan as two defendants responsible for Deus’ firings. However, the jury’s verdict only held AARP Services liable, not Flanagan’s liability for damages.
Laura Segal, AARP’s senior vice president for external affairs, told the Washington Blade in a statement:
AARP is satisfied with the jury’s verdict that Lawrence Flanagan lawfully terminated Richard Deus’ employment. AARP Services, Inc. (ASI) disagrees with the remainder of the decision and is considering all options for further legal consideration. We remain committed to an inclusive culture, warmth and belonging where everyone feels welcome.
Attorneys for AARP Services reportedly argued during the trial that Deus was not fired because of his sexual orientation, noting that gay and lesbian employees are still at the company and that It pointed to the company’s policy against discrimination based on orientation or marital status. Although the jury found that AARP discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation, the jury did not find that AARP Services discriminated against Deus on the basis of his marital status.
“Defendant Flanagan was one of the lead defense witnesses who testified during the nine-day trial,” the report said. “He has worked with gay co-workers for many years, has gay relatives whom he respects, and testified that while he served as CEO of AARP Services, he never intended for his staff to engage in discriminatory behavior.”
According to the report, Flanagan said in his testimony that the decision to fire Deus was based in part on the recommendation of Michael Roizzi, director of human resources and human resources for AARP Services, who is “an openly gay man.” He also said that there are.
The report continues:
Loizzi, who also testified at the trial, said that as a gay man, he never called for Deus or anyone else to be fired because of their sexual orientation. In his testimony, he said Flanagan fired Deus because Deus violated the AARP Services Travel Policy and lied to his supervisor about travel details in order to obtain his supervisor’s approval under false pretenses. He said he recommended.
In his testimony, Deus denied lying to his superiors and said both trips had been cleared in advance.
Darrell Chambers, Deus’ lead attorney, told the Washington Blade after the verdict that the case is “about the unequal treatment of homosexual people compared to straight men.”
“This is not a case about an organization or a group of people who decided to fire this guy because they hate gay people and hate this guy,” Chambers said. “Rather, the punishments consistently applied to homosexual employees such as Mr. Deus and Mr. Sanders are far more severe than those applied to heterosexual employees who committed the same or similar acts. That’s the case.”
After the ruling, attorneys for AARP Services filed a motion asking D.C. Superior Court Judge Shana Frost Martini to issue a directive judgment reversing the outcome of the case. Martini reportedly said a public hearing to consider the motion is scheduled for May.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her at @thekat_Hamilton.
