EEOC Sues Amer Sports for Retaliation

DENVER – Amer Sports Winter & Outdoor Company, a recreational gear company headquartered in Utah with employees throughout the United States, violated federal law when it fired an employee because he complained about age discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, an employee complained multiple times to human resources and management about age discrimination during an organizational restructuring. During the reorganization, the company created a new leadership role and hired several younger, less experienced employees to fill the positions without posting the positions or giving older, more experienced employees the opportunity to apply.

When the employee complained that the actions constituted age discrimination, his regional manager and the company’s human resources representative warned him not to pursue his complaint up the chain, implying it would jeopardize his career. When the employee nevertheless elevated his complaint to the company’s global vice president, Amer Sports terminated him less than six weeks later.

Such alleged conduct violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits retaliation for complaining about age discrimination. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Amer Sports Winter & Outdoor Company, Case No. 1:24-cv-02940, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“Over 50% of the charges the EEOC receives have a retaliation allegation,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Mary Jo O’Neill. “Employers are not permitted to punish employees for asserting their rights under the ADEA or to engage in any other conduct that would dissuade employees from speaking up to oppose age discrimination.”

Amy Burkholder, field director of the EEOC’s Denver Field Office, said, “Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who complain about discrimination. When employers engage in this conduct, the EEOC will not hesitate to hold them accountable.”

For more information on age discrimination please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Denver Field Office is one of three offices in the EEOC Phoenix District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arizona, Colorado, northern New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.