Dallas-based fashion accessory designer and manufacturer Tandy Brands Accessories, Inc., will pay $95,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency recently announced.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Tandy Brands terminated a 62-year-old manager because of her age, purportedly as part of a “reduction-in-force,” while retaining a less qualified, younger manager. An EEOC investigation found that over a period of 4 months at its Victoria, Texas facility, Tandy Brands terminated another five supervisors whose ages ranged from 58 to 75 while retaining only two supervisors, both of whom were in their early 40s. One of these much younger supervisors assumed the position of receiving and returns supervisor, a position he had not previously held, despite the fact that the plaintiff had successfully held the position for several years, making her better qualified for the job. The EEOC alleged that Tandy Brands retained the younger, less qualified supervisor as part of a campaign to give the company a more youthful image, in line with images of staff prominently displayed on its website.

“Qualified and productive workers must be recognized and retained regardless of age,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Jim Sacher. “Making employment decisions based on one’s age is unlawful, and there is no excuse for such a practice in the 21st century.”