Women file suit against Penn State Fayette
Two women have filed suit against Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, claiming they were discriminated against because of their ages and disabilities.
Jamie Onesi of Uniontown and Jane Witt of Connellsville, filed the lawsuit on Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh.
Attorney James B. Lieber indicated in the filing that Onesi was a full-time administrative support assistant from 1977 until April 2009, when she was told her position would be eliminated for budgetary reasons. The filing claimed that Onesi was offered a different position that would have meant a decrease in hours and a 25 percent reduction in pay.
She opted to retire, which caused her anxiety and insomnia, and have exacerbated existing conditions of fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism, Lieber claimed.
Witt was hired in 1996, and served as the Division of Undergraduate Studies Coordinator until January 2010, when she was demoted after her supervisor claimed she missed too many days of work after a surgery – even though the days off had been approved, Lieber claimed.
While the suit does not specify the womens’ ages, Lieber indicated that both are over 40, and alleged the Academic Affairs Department, where Onesi worked and Witt works, was “the target of ageist animus” from the former administration at the campus.
For more information, read Tuesday’s HeraldStandard.com