A New Hampshire man has scored a victory in a legal skirmish with grocery giant Market Basket, bagging over $134,000 after a jury sided with him in an age discrimination case, NBC Boston reports.
Rodney Martinez, now in the winter of his working years, launched the lawsuit claiming Market Basket kept him boxed in a part-time role because of his age, despite him routinely working over 45 hours a week. Hired in 2012 when he was 55, Martinez asserted that he was interested in full-time work from the get-go, yet watched as younger employees leapfrogged over him on the corporate ladder. In a surprising twist, Market Basket stated the plaintiff didn't express interest in becoming full-time, a claim contested by Martinez and ultimately dismissed by the jury.
The conflict reached boiling point in 2019 when a 27-year-old was promoted to full-time over Martinez, later to be replaced by another employee after the younger worker's termination. Martinez, feeling sliced from the opportunity, decided to take the legal route filing a complaint in 2022, at the age of 62. The jury unanimously found that the supermarket chain had indeed violated the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the state's Law Against Discrimination, as reported by CBS News.
Market Basket, meanwhile, may not be ready to restock their strategy shelves just yet. The company is mulling over an appeal, doughy with disbelief over the verdict. "We respect the judicial process but are surprised and disappointed by the decision. Throughout the trial, there were clear and compelling reasons provided regarding why Mr. Martinez was not promoted sooner. Market Basket is a company that prides itself on the longevity of our associates; it is part of our culture," the company claimed in a statement obtained by CBS News. Either way, the verdict stands as a stern reminder to businesses everywhere that age should not be a shelf marker in the valuation of employees.
