EEOC Sues DC Water Authority for Age Discrimination

WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) violated federal law when it fired an employee based on his age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, DC Water terminated Courtney Titus and other high-performing and experienced older workers in his department in September 2023. DC Water then replaced Titus and his terminated colleagues with substantially younger and less qualified candidates. Titus, like his older colleagues, had never received a performance counseling or warning prior to his termination, and DC Water ignored its own progressive discipline policy when it terminated the older workers without providing notice of and an opportunity to correct alleged performance issues.

"Our older workers bring to the workplace a wealth of experience and a strong work ethic," said Debra Lawrence, regional attorney of the Philadelphia District Office. "Retaining them is a win-win - the employer benefits from their strong performance, and they remain valuable contributors to the economy. The EEOC will ensure that they are protected from age discrimination."

Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits age discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-03189) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

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

The EEOC's Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.