Eli Lilly to Pay $2.4M to Settle Class Age Discrimination Suit

Lilly USA, LLC, a pharmaceutical corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and its parent company, Eli Lilly and Company, will pay $2.4 million and provide other equitable relief to settle a nationwide class age discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.

The EEOC’s lawsuit sought relief for pharmaceutical sales representative applicants who were denied positions due to Lilly’s “Early Career” hiring initiative. The Early Career hiring initiative, which was in place from 2017 to 2021, included goals designed to change hiring preferences to add more millennials to Lilly’s workforce.

The employer’s alleged conduct in this case violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) which prohibits discriminating against employees aged 40 and over. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division (EEOC v. Lilly USA, LLC, et al., Case No. 1:22-1882-TWP-MKK) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. This case was litigated by EEOC Trial Attorney Chelsae Ford.

The consent decree resolving the case sets up a claims process that will identify and compensate individuals aged 40 or older who applied for and were denied primary care sales representative positions in the Lilly Diabetes Business Unit from January 1, 2017, through June 30, 2020.

In addition to the monetary relief, the decree requires Lilly to provide EEO training to certain managers and human resources personnel, survey job applicants on whether they experienced discrimination, and specifically state in contracts with third-party recruiters that it does not discriminate against candidates for employment based upon age.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits