EEOC Sues American Samoa, Claims HR Director Advised Workers Over 50 to Retire

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed an age discrimination suit against American Samoa that claims the territory gave older government workers less desirable jobs when they refused to retire.

According to the suit, Evelyn Langford, director of the territory's department of human resources, said at a 2009 meeting that workers over age 50 should retire to open up jobs for younger workers, the Associated Press reports. Those who didn’t comply were reassigned to less desirable jobs, the complaint alleges. The Pacific Daily News and Reuters also have stories.

The suit was filed on behalf of a class of workers that included Eseneiaso Liu, who was chief of the personnel division, the AP story says. When she didn’t retire, she was forced into a new job that didn’t include an office or a parking space, according to the complaint.