Company's Hiring Practices Discriminate Against Persons Over the Age of 40

Bellevue, Tenn. - Tennessee Restaurant Group, LLC, a DQ Grill & Chill franchisee with offices in Bellevue, TN, violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 by routinely failing to hire employees over the age of forty, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. The EEOC's lawsuit alleges the Tennessee Restaurant Group violated the ADEA by failing to hire employees over the age of 40 at its Bellevue, Tennessee location. Theresa Chandler, age 60, applied to work in the company's Bellevue store in March 2017. Ms. Chandler was told she was a good fit for the position, but she did not receive the job. Instead, the company hired five new employees who all were under the age of 40. The company claims it hired the younger employees because they had greater flexibility and more experience. Information uncovered during the Nashville District Office's investigation, however, contradicts the company's position.

The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Tennessee Restaurant Group, LLC d/b/a DQ Grill & Chill Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-00975) in United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

"The EEOC recently commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the ADEA. Age stereotyping has no place in hiring decisions; it is illegal, demoralizing, and deprives the workplace of invaluable knowledge, experience and creativity," said Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director of the EEOC's Memphis District Office.