On October 10, 2024, Pete Winebrake and Mark Gottesfeld obtained a jury verdict on behalf of their client, William Pepke, for $79,000 in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Following a three-day trial, the jury awarded Mr. Pepke $30,000 in compensatory damages, $11,500 in back pay, and $26,148.50 in front pay after finding that Mr. Pepke’s former employer discriminated against him because of his age when it laid him off. Because the jury also found that the defendant’s violation of the law was “willful” under the ADEA, the Court awarded Mr. Pepke an additional $11,500 in liquidated damages.
Mr. Pepke asserted claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA). Judge Ranjan had previously denied the defendant’s summary judgment motion finding that a “reasonable jury could view some of Mr. Backus’s alleged statements as sufficient direct evidence” that the defendant’s decision to lay off Mr. Pepke was because of his age. See Pepke v. Manor House Kitchens, Inc., 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156234, at *3 (W.D. Pa. Aug. 30, 2024). An article discussing this case in the Pennsylvania Record can be found here: https://pennrecord.com/stories/665113519-pittsburgh-area-company-hit-with-79k-age-discrimination-verdict