Fired Over Weight Gain? Woman Suing Coach Retailer For Discrimination
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Coach is being sued by a former Detroit-area store manager who says weight gain led to her dismissal after more than 10 years at the high-end handbag retailer.
Elizabeth DeLorean's discrimination lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Detroit federal court, says she was encouraged to watch TV's "The Biggest Loser" and reminded about previous Lean Cuisine lunches.
"Some of them were little things, like you know 'maybe you should tune into the "Biggest Loser" or the weight loss television show.' Then it would get a little more intense, things like, at a performance review 'whatever happened to the girl who would bring in her Lean Cuisine for lunch every day?' At the performance review," says DeLorean's attorney, Sarah Prescott.
The 35-year-old DeLorean started with Coach in 2002 and worked her way up to manager at a suburban Detroit store. By 2013, the Royal Oak woman had gained more than 100 pounds. She was dismissed that year.
Prescott says a Coach area manager said weight was a factor.
Company officials say DeLorean was fired over performance issues. She is seeking unspecified damages for lost employment and distress.
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