Former Atwater Police Officer Says He Was Victim of Ageism and Wrongful Termination

Los Angeles, CA (Law Firm Newswire) August 22, 2019 – A former police officer filed a lawsuit against the city of Atwater, California claiming that he has been discriminated against because of his age. The 57-year-old says that he was fired and continues to be kept from a job as a police officer because he is older.

Thomas Niederreuther was hired as an officer in 2015 but was fired within his first year, during the standard probationary period. During his employment with the police department, he says that he was taunted regularly by his superiors about his age. The fact that he was an older officer was a regular topic of discussion and the center of many jokes among the man’s superiors and fellow officers.

Soon after the man’s employment with the department ended, he sued the city for wrongful termination and was awarded a $60,000 settlement and was told he would never be able to work for the city again. However, that clause was later overturned by former City Manager Art de Werk, a friend of the former officer, who also sued the city with a hostile work environment claim.

“Age should never keep an individual from employment for which he or she is otherwise qualified,” said Los Angeles employment attorney Betsy Havens, Executive Director of Strong Advocates.
Niederreuther’s lawsuit seeks financial compensation and the opportunity to apply for a patrol officer job with the Atwater police department.

Strong Advocates is an employment law firm based in Los Angeles. Contact Betsy Havens, an experienced attorney, for a free case analysis. Contact Strong Advocates at https://www.strongadvocates.com/.

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