BENTON — The owners of a Fairview Heights appliance store are accused of harassment, age discrimination and manipulating workers' hours to avoid overtime pay.
Kathy Hartman filed a complaint June 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Gil Klein TV and Appliance Inc., doing business as Kleins Brand Source, Doug Klein and Lynn Klein Iler alleging age discrimination, retaliation and violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Hartman, who is 57 years old, worked as a service writer for Kleins Brand Source from May 2016 through April 18, 2020, according to her complaint. She alleges that between 2019 and 2020, the Klein's service manager and supervisor harassed her and other older employees. Hartman specifically claims that the supervisor threatened to fire her, told her she was "inadequate," and that she was told she had to wear pants because the owners did not "like the looks of older women's legs." She alleges younger workers were allowed to wear items that showed their legs. She also claims she witnessed the owners and managers make "sexually based" comments to and about her female co-workers, including calling one a "whore." Hartman alleges the defendants manipulated the hours she worked on the company electronic timekeeping system, including deducting for lunch breaks she did not take, failing to pay overtime and changing her work start time. She resigned in April 2020 and received a Notice of Right to Sue from the EEOC in March 2021.
Hartman seeks monetary relief, trial by jury and all other just relief. She is represented by Jill Silverstein and Ferne Wolf of SilversteinWolf LLC in St. Louis.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:21-CV-00542-JPG