Former Disney Business Analyst Drops Her Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against the Company
Last July, we brought you the news that Deborah Violante, a former business analyst for Disney, was filing an age discrimination and relativization lawsuit against the company.
You can read our full rundown of the lawsuit here, but essentially, Violante alleged that she was subjected to a “campaign of discrimination and harassment based on her age.”
Photo: cba.cj
“Then, after Violante became injured and needed to take time off, Disney expedited its plans to terminate her. And used the pretext of a mass layoff to terminate Violante from the company based on her age and disability. When Violante was 73 years old, Disney boldly – and illegally – unilaterally ‘retired’ Violante from the company even though she had never asked to retire and never authorized anyone to retire her.” the filing said.
Violante Accused Disney of Age Discrimination and Retaliation
After being terminated in 2023 as part of Disney’s nearly 7,000 layoffs, Violante learned she was the only person in her department affected by the cuts. When she reached out to Disney to find out why she was laid off, Violante said the company framed her termination as a retirement.
Photo: Disney
Later, when she accused them of age discrimination, Disney changed their tune and called her termination “an involuntary separation due to a reduction in force.”
“To this day, it remains unclear what metrics Disney used to evaluate her performance. Especially given that, prior to this, no one had notified Violante of any performance deficiencies,” the suit said.
Paperwork Has Been Filed to Drop the Suit
Six months after the suit was filed, Violnte’s attorneys have filed papers asking Judge Daniel S. Murphy to dismiss the case with predjudice, essentially meaning that it cannot be refiled.
Photo: Disney
At this time, it is unclear if Violante and Disney have reached a settlement. Based on today’s filing, however, that would seem likely. Violante had been suing for lost earnings, emotional distress, and other damages.
We should learn more soon.
Photo: Miriam-Webster
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