Kanbar Property Management must pay $140,000 to woman in age discrimination lawsuit
By KYLE ARNOLD World Business Writer on Sep 5, 2013, at 2:32 AM Updated on 9/05/13 at 3:49 AM
Employment
The Obama administration approved new rules Tuesday that extend minimum wage and overtime pay to nearly 2 million home health-care workers who help the elderly and disabled with everyday tasks such as bathing, eating or taking medicine.
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus said Monday that his effort to revamp the tax code helped attract some of the business world's biggest names to Montana for a jobs conference that touched on taxes, energy development and other issues.
A woman who claimed that she was fired from Kanbar Property Management because she was too old will get $140,000 as part of a settlement.
The age discrimination lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused a former Kanbar Property executive of firing an employee because he wanted "younger and prettier" property managers.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the North District of Oklahoma in 2012.
U.S. District Judge John Dowdell signed off on the agreement Wednesday.
The suit asserted that former Kanbar Property chief operating officer, Suhki Ghuman, fired property manager Toni Strength, 53 at the time, and replaced her with two younger female property managers, aged 39 and 23.
Strength was fired on Oct. 29, 2010.
The younger property managers were hired three days later, according to the lawsuit.
Ghuman is now owner and CEO of Octavian USA, a security firm that works with Kanbar and other downtown Tulsa property owners.
Per the terms of the settlement, Kanbar Property must also develop a new anti-discrimination policy and also provide proof that the company is fair to employees older than 40 years.
Kanbar Property Management CEO John Price did not return a phone message Wednesday.
Kanbar Property Management controls more than 30 percent of downtown real estate and owns 15 buildings in the area.
The company is the property arm of California business mogul Maurice Kanbar.
The $140,000 settlement will be paid to Strength to cover lost wages and damages.
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Ageism lawsuit settled
Employment
The Obama administration approved new rules Tuesday that extend minimum wage and overtime pay to nearly 2 million home health-care workers who help the elderly and disabled with everyday tasks such as bathing, eating or taking medicine.
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus said Monday that his effort to revamp the tax code helped attract some of the business world's biggest names to Montana for a jobs conference that touched on taxes, energy development and other issues.
