COLUMBUS, Ga. — A retirement facility operator located in Columbus, Georgia, will be paying $78,000 to settle an age and disability discrimination lawsuit.

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Covenant Woods Senior Living, LLC and BrightSpace Senior Living, LLC which operate the Covenant Woods retirement community in Columbus, will be settling a lawsuit by paying $78,000, according to a news release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The lawsuit was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to CBS News.

Shirley Noble was 78 years old when she was fired from her job at Covenant Woods Senior Living in February 2022, according to the lawsuit obtained by CBS News. The month before, Noble was honored as the 2021 Employee of the Year. She worked there for about 14 years.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in the lawsuit that Noble was hospitalized for a short time and went back to work to find a new employee who happened to be younger in her seat, CBS News reported. She reportedly had a meeting with the manager the following day and was asked if she wanted to continue to work and she said she planned for a few more years. The following day, Noble was fired due to a “loss of confidence in her abilities.”

“Employers have a responsibility to evaluate an employee’s performance without regard to age, if the employee is 40 and over, and without regard to an actual or perceived disability,” said Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office. “The EEOC is pleased that through this early resolution, the former receptionist will be compensated, and that Covenant Woods has agreed to take steps to ensure that it meets its obligations under the ADEA and the ADA going forward.”

“Employees have a right to a fair evaluation of their performance, irrespective of their age or medical impairment. The EEOC remains committed to enforcing that right,” said Darrell Graham, district director of the Atlanta office.

Brightspace released a statement obtained by CBS News.

“We at Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living resolved this case due to the cost of litigating it,” BrightSpace Chief Financial Officer Brian Hendricks said in a statement. “We do not admit wrongdoing or discriminatory conduct as part of this resolution. Covenant Woods and BrightSpace Senior Living remain committed to compliance with all discrimination and labor and employment laws.”

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