Console Mattiacci Law Represents Older IKEA Workers Rejected For Promotion In Two Additional Collective Action Age Discrimination Lawsuits
February 11, 2020 – Console Mattiacci Law, LLC represents two 49-year-old current employees of IKEA, William Antonelli, Jr. and Brandon Paine, who assert that the company discriminated against them and other employees over the age of 40 in stores across the US in promotional decisions. The Court conditionally certified the cases to proceed as collective actions and authorized the issuance of notice to other older workers in each if they fit the criteria. This means that other older eligible employees across the country will be notified of the Paine and/or Antonelli lawsuits and will have the opportunity to join in suing the retail giant for age discrimination. The lawsuits seek recovery including monetary damages for harms suffered as a result of IKEA’s violations of the federal age discrimination law.
A few months ago, the Court conditionally certified the first age discrimination lawsuit brought against IKEA filed by Console Mattiacci Law, Donofrio v. IKEA US Retail, LLC, Case No. 2:18-cv-00599-AB, to proceed as a collective action. In its May 15, 2019 opinion, the Court found that Console Mattiacci Law’s client, Mr. Donofrio, presented evidence that “shows beyond mere speculation that IKEA may have discriminated against older employees in promotion decisions…” and “that IKEA’s allegedly discriminatory policies and procedures could have affected all putative class members similarly.”
As it did in the Donofrio matter, Console Mattiacci Law will soon mail all eligible individuals Notices of the Right to Join the Paine and/or Antonelli lawsuits along with Consent to Join forms, and they will have 60 days from the date of mailing to send their Consent to Join Forms if they decide to opt-in.
The cases are Paine v. IKEA Holding US, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-00723-AB and Antonelli v. IKEA Holding US, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-01286-AB, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania before The Honorable Anita B. Brody.