A former executive who sued Summit Funding Inc. for age discrimination is expected to obtain a $1.6 million judgment against the Sacramento, California-based company.
Earlier this year, Summit’s former senior vice president of its national builder division, Shirleen Von Hoffmann, filed a complaint against the lender in Sacramento Superior Court.
The executive, whose LinkedIn profile says she worked at Summit from February 2014 to July 2016, alleges that she was forced out of the company because of her age.
That is according to an announcement Thursday from Von Hoffmann’s law firm, Gray & Associates PC.
Von Hoffmann, who now sells real estate for Coldwell Banker in Carmel, California, claims she was praised, given raises and paid bonuses during her career.
Testimony from seven former employees reportedly indicated Summit profit participant and CORE coach Rick Ruby said things like he had “no use” for older workers, “dinosaurs” and “Humpty Dumptys.”
Ruby is accused of encouraging Summit to hire people who are “young and sexy,” according to the media release. He also allegedly said older workers should get out of the mortgage business and lacked “fire in their bellies.”
Gray & Associates said the judge in the case ruled that Ruby’s discriminatory conduct was “enabled and condoned” by Summit President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Scrima.
“Judge Flaherty determined that Summit acted with malice, fraud and oppression, resulting in an award of punitive damages against Summit,” the press release stated.
The case went to arbitration, and the plaintiff was awarded $1.6 million on July 5, the statement said. The case is currently sitting in Superior Court awaiting confirmation of the award and conversion to a judgment against Summit.
Officials from Summit Funding didn’t respond to a request for a statement.
