Charming Shoppes / Fashion Bug to Pay $40,000 to Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Suit

Federal Agency Charged Company Terminated Employee Because of Age

ATLANTA – Charming Shoppes, Inc., an Atlanta clothing store company, will pay $40,050 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Agency announced today.

In its lawsuit, filed on October 9, 2009, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Rome Division (Case No.: 4:09-CV-00160-HLM-WEJ), the EEOC had charged that Charming Shoppes, doing business as Fashion Bug, subjected Angela Ray, a co-manager at the Rome, Ga., store, to discriminatory terms and conditions of employment, including disparate discipline and, ultimately, terminated her because of her age.

Charming Shoppes also owns Lane Bryant, Catherine's, Crosstown Traders and Petite Sophisticate and operates 26 stores in the Atlanta area.

The consent decree settling the suit, in addition to the monetary relief, includes provisions for equal employment opportunity training, reporting, and posting of anti-discrimination notices. In the suit and consent decree, Charming Shoppes denied any liability or wrongdoing.

"We are pleased with the employer's efforts to quickly resolve this dispute, while taking affirmative steps to remain in compliance with the law in the future," said Robert Dawkins, regional attorney for the EEOC's Atlanta office. "Going forward, we believe Charming Shoppes is sincerely committed to avoiding these types of problems."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.