South Valley Care Center to Pay $75,000 in EEOC Age Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – South Valley Care Center, LLC, a long-term care facility in Albuquerque, agreed to pay $75,000 to settle an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a South Valley supervisor harassed and mocked older workers in the facility’s laundry department because of their ages and treated them less favorably than younger workers. Older workers complained about this treatment multiple times to management, but South Valley ignored their complaints. The harassment ultimately culminated with South Valley firing at least two workers in August 2022 after they continued to complain, the EEOC said.

“We appreciate South Valley’s willingness to enter into an early resolution of this case that provides targeted relief to affected workers and will establish meaningful, lasting changes to its work environment,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office. “The EEOC will continue to vigorously enforce federal age discrimination law and the protect the rights of older workers, and this resolution advances that commitment.”

The alleged conduct violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibit discrimination and harassment based on age and retaliation for complaining about discrimination. The EEOC filed suit against South Valley (Case No. 1:25-cv-00569-JMR-KK) in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

In addition to providing $75,000 in damages to two workers, the three-year consent decree settling the suit requires South Valley to provide letters of apology and reference to the two affected workers; hire an outside consultant to assist with revising and updating South Valley’s anti-discrimination policies; provide comprehensive anti-discrimination training to its employees; and report on its training, complaints and policy modifications to the EEOC.

For more information on age discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and part of New Mexico.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.