The Seneca Park Zoo Society is at the center of a federal age discrimination lawsuit filed by its former director of education, Bartholomew Roselli. The suit alleges that Roselli was “the victim of age discrimination when he was fired in 2017.” According to the suit, Roselli, now 65-years-old, “was hired by the Seneca Park Zoo Society in 2009 as the director of education and interpretation, which involved serving as a public-facing leader of public programs and exhibits and managing about 25 people.” The zoo itself is supported by the Seneca Park Zoo Society and operated by Monroe County.So what happened? How was Roselli discriminated against? Well, according to court documents, Roselli allegedly “received positive performance reviews and raises each year.” However, “in 2015, he was demoted and stripped of some responsibilities, which were given to a younger employee.” The suit goes on to claim that Roselli's replacement “openly ridiculed him based on a misconception that he was not adept with technology due to his age.” The suit also alleges “that members of the Zoo's leadership team often made fun of his age and called him the 'old man' at meetings.”

Monroe County Office Building; image courtesy of DanielPenfield via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org

Then, in July 2017, Roselli claims Pamela Reed-Sanchez, the zoo's executive director, “sent him an email with a three-page list of deficiencies.” Along with the list of deficiencies, “he was given 48 hours to either agree to retire within 60 days or be terminated immediately.”Roselli pushed back, though, and spoke out against the alleged deficiencies. He “complained that he was being discriminated against because of his age,” and as a result, was allegedly “walked out of the facility the same day.”As a result of his treatment, he's seeking reinstatement, back pay, and damages.How did the zoo society respond to the allegations, though? Well, a spokesperson for the society issued a statement claiming the organization plans to “vigorously defend itself against this lawsuit and feels confident that it will ultimately prevail in court.” It added:“The Seneca Park Zoo Society stands by its action to terminate the employment of Mr. Roselli and vehemently denies his allegations of age discrimination. The Seneca Park Zoo Society is an equal opportunity employer and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind.”Additionally, the society issued a formal response to the allegations that argues that “Roselli was fired due to his longstanding job performance issues that spanned over the course of eight and a half years and under the supervision of two different executive directors.” Additionally, the society described Roselli “as a poor manager and incapable of overseeing multiple different programs.” It further alleges that “Roselli's personnel file contains formal and informal performance appraisals, verbal and written warnings and a probationary letter that attest to the failures and inefficiencies in his performance” and claims that “Roselli never complained about any instances of harassment or age discrimination until after he was fired.”

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Former zoo society official claims age discrimination behind dismissalZoo Society sued for age discrimination