In an article published in The Daily Record on July 16, 2025, Jay Holland was quoted about the firm’s success in an age discrimination case involving a former employee of the Washington, D.C., Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA).
The firm’s client worked at HSEMA for 33 years and was fired five weeks before she would have earned her retirement benefits, one of which was lifetime health care. She never received a single negative performance review until 2021, when she was fired.
“They gave her no warning, no write-up, no performance improvement plan,” Jay stated. “They said ‘you could either retire, or you’re fired.’”
A federal jury found that HSEMA discriminated against the firm’s client because of her age and awarded $525,000 in back pay.
“This should put on notice to employers that they cannot simply decide to get rid of older employees and replace them with younger ones to change the culture or vibe of the workplace,” Jay said.
In addition to Jay, the JGL trial team included attorneys Michal Shinnar and Caralea Grant.
Read the article “Washington, D.C., employee awarded $525,000 for age-based firing.” (PDF)
Read the firm’s press release for more information about the age discrimination case.
