Second Ala. pharmacist wins age discrimination lawsuit against CVS

A jury recently awarded more than $1 million to a pharmacist who claimed he was fired from a Pell City, Ala. CVS because of his age.

Pharmacist James King, who filed a complaint in 2012 when he was 65, is the second pharmacist in the same Alabama district to recently win an age discrimination lawsuit against CVS.

Is there age bias in pharmacy?

According to an article in the Anniston Star, King said he was suspended and then fired about a month after he reported the district supervisor for making disparaging comments about his age.

A CVS spokesperson, Mike DeAngelis, said the pharmacy chain disagreed with the verdict and was considering its legal options.

In 2013, another pharmacist in the Anniston-area won an age discrimination lawsuit against CVS. In that case, pharmacist Roger Harris said he was fired shortly after his 65^th birthday and replaced by a 27-year-old pharmacist.

After a two-week trial, a jury agreed with Harris and awarded him $400,000 in back pay and $400,000 in damages. "The termination document was dated August 13, 2009," Kenneth Haynes, Harris’ lawyer, told the Birmingham News. "He was celebrating his 65th birthday at the beach. When he returned to work he was informed on August 17, 2009 of his termination."

According to Harris’ complaint, at one point the district pharmacy supervisor referred to him as “old man.” After that, Harris said several pharmacy employees began calling him “old man.” CVS maintained that Harris was fired for performance issues.

See also:

Pharmacists file age discrimination lawsuit against Mercy Medical