A Puerto Rican sales and marketing manager in her 50s claimed she was denied promotions, demoted, received lackluster performance evaluations, and suffered from a hostile work environment.

Chris Newmarker

A federal jury in Puerto Rico this week awarded $4.25 million in back wages and damages to a former Abbott Labs sales and marketing manager who said she suffered age discrimination.

Luz González, who is in her 50s and started working at Abbott's Puerto Rican operations in 1984, filed the lawsuit in 2014, claiming discrimination after her previous position was eliminated in 2010 and she was placed under Kim Pérez, a manger more than 10 years her junior. 

González said her new manager pressured her and treated her in a hostile manager. In 2011, she a formal complaint of hostile work environment and discrimination at Abbott's Human Resources Department and submitted herself to treatment with the Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund Corp. 

González in her complaint maintained she was passed over for promotions and opportunities by younger workers, demoted, and received lackluster performance evaluations in which Pérez gave her a 50% "partially achieve" score without breaking down which goals were reached or not reached. 

Abbott denied González's claims. 

The federal jury awarded González $250,000 in back salary, $3 million in compensatory damages on the part of Abbott's actions, and $1 million in damages on the part of Pérez's actions. 

Chris Newmarker is senior editor of Qmed. Follow him on Twitter at @newmarker.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our daily e-newsletter.

[Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono on FreeDigitalPhotos.net]