Legal troubles: Detroit Tigers facing age discrimination lawsuit from 2 ex-scouts who allege they were fired in favor of younger employees.
The Detroit Tigers are entangled in a legal dispute involving two former scouts who claim they were unfairly dismissed based on age discrimination. Allegations suggest that Major League Baseball and the Tigers are pivoting towards younger scouts who utilize video and analytics, resulting in the termination of these individuals.
The pair of former Tigers scouts accuse the team of age discrimination
Gary Pellant, aged 68, and Randall Johnson, aged 67, have filed the lawsuit after being fired in November of 2020. Both seek back pay, compensatory, and punitive damages from the Tigers. They argue that the team perpetuates a pattern violating the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, systematically favoring younger employees while pushing out older ones. According to the lawsuit, the shift began shortly after former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was succeeded by Rob Manfred in 2015.
“As part of the reform process, MLB endeavored to begin heavily recruiting younger scouts, at the same time intentionally pushing out, from the older scouts with prior knowledge, qualifications, expertise, and training, based on a false stereotype that older scouts lacked the ability to use analytics and engage in video scouting with the same acumen as younger scouts,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Even if the defendant did not specifically terminate plaintiffs due to their age, the defendants’ stated desire to hire scouts that were more adept with technology was based on an age stereotype and had a disparate impact on older scouts, including plaintiffs,” the lawsuit continues.
The lawsuit also alleges MLB as a whole is discriminating against older scouts
The lawsuit additionally claims that the Tigers actively prevented the re-hiring of older scouts. The complaint elaborates that in the aftermath of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, MLB either terminated or did not renew contracts for 51 out of 83 older scouts.
“However, even since the pandemic ended and revenues returned, older scouts like plaintiffs are being systematically denied reemployment, including through the use of a list or lists and an agreement, pattern, practice, and effective rule to maintain lower numbers of older scouts throughout Major League Baseball,” the lawsuit alleges.
TL;DR (too long didn't read)
- The Detroit Tigers are facing an age discrimination lawsuit from a pair of former team scouts.
- Gary Pellant, aged 68, and Randall Johnson, aged 67, are accusing the Tigers of terminating them due to their age in favor of younger employees.
- The lawsuit also alleges that it follows a pattern by Major League Baseball of age discrimination against older scouts in violation of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Bottom Line: Are the Tigers guilty of age discrimination?
The Tigers could face a significant public relations challenge if proven guilty of age discrimination. The complete legal process must unfold, allowing the full context of the situation to emerge before forming any judgments. Understanding the entirety of the circumstances is essential before concluding this matter.
Refraining from drawing premature conclusions is wise, especially when complete information has yet to surface. It's essential to await all the facts before forming any conclusions that could potentially be incorrect or incomplete.
