Rachel Lerner
Fri, 10/14/2022
On September 22, 2022, Carrie Baker filed a complaint against her former employer, the medical marijuana dispensary Green Thumb Industries, Inc., describing a culture of forcing out older female employees and a hostile work environment.
Green Thumb Industries owns a number of retail cannabis stores in various states, including in Pennsylvania. As part of the process to apply for a medical marijuana dispensary permit, Green Thumb Industries had to submit a diversity plan.
Carrie Baker was hired by Green Thumb Industries as a Patient Care Specialist in April 2018. According to Baker, after Green Thumb Industries obtained its permit, it quickly dispensed with its previously stated diversity goals, terminating several older female employees. Baker alleges that early in her employment, she was told that did not “fit in with the company culture” as an older woman. After Baker was passed over for a promotion in what she alleges was a discriminatory decision, she filed a complaint alleging discrimination with the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission. Baker alleges that, after she filed her complaint, she endured endless harassment in retaliation for her filing, including negative performance reviews and threats of termination, to the point where she resigned from the company.
After receiving leave to sue from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Baker filed a complaint in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleging sex and age discrimination, as well as retaliation and retaliatory harassment under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and Pennsylvania state law.
If you believe you have experienced discrimination in the workplace, contact MSE at info@mselaborlaw.com.
