Former employee at State College store alleges race, age discrimination in federal lawsuit
A Black, 68-year-old former Petco employee accused the national pet store chain in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday of firing him because of his race and age.
Longtime worker Shipp Brown said in the 23-page lawsuit that a new supervisor hired in July 2017 to work at the Patton Township location subjected him to ongoing harassment and discrimination.
The alleged mistreatment ranged from Brown’s supervisor refusing to speak with him to bringing in younger, white managers to do his job, attorney James Horne wrote.
Petco declined Wednesday to comment on the lawsuit. An attorney for the company was not listed.
Brown reported the discrimination to the company and a district manager, but either did not receive a response or was retaliated against, Horne wrote.
His supervisor “left” the company in February 2018, when she was told she’d be fired if she did not resign, Horne wrote. Brown was fired one day later.
He was the oldest and only Black guest experience leader among the 28 stores in the district that the at 40 Colonnade Way location fell into, Horne wrote.
Brown was replaced by a 31-year-old white man after he was fired, Horne wrote.
The six-count lawsuit is seeking unspecified financial compensation.