Fired dancer sues club for age discrimination
November 20, 2008 by Fred HosierPosted in: Here comes the judge, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, That's how they do it in ______
“We’re going for a younger look.” Any HR pro would probably tell a manager that’s not a good thing to say to an employee who’s being fired.
But the manager of the New Locomotion strip club near Toronto, Canada, probably meant it when he told 44-year-old dancer Kimberlee Ouwroulis she was being fired.
When Ouwroulis found out another older woman had also just been fired, she filed an age discrimination suit against the club, according to The National Post.
Ouwroulis told the Post she wanted to keep stripping until she was 47 or 48. She started her exotic dancing career when she was 40.
Ouwroulis says while the job is about looks, it’s also about personality and attitude, all of which made her a great dancer.
Another club has hired her as a stripper.
Tags: age discrimination, fired, suit
November 20th, 2008 at 9:53 am
she started her career at 40? i guess she couldn’t use the archetypal “it’s just to pay my way through school” excuse.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
LOL Lisa…I was thinking the same thing!
November 21st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
She was probably just a “late bloomer”
November 21st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
She could be going back for her doctorate!
November 21st, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Why did they hire her at 40 if they were going for a “younger look”. I don’t know what to make of this. She might just have a case.
November 21st, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I hope to God I never see a 40 something on stage when I’m out at a strip club. Do they have an early retirement program?
November 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Who cares what the lady wants to do with her life, we are not to judge here! If they hired her at 40 years of age and she still looks good and does her job well, let her keep her job!
November 21st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
It’s not uncommon for companies to change direction or change “product mix.” Just because this woman was hired at 40 doesn’t mean that’s a slam-dunk for an age discrimination suit if they’ve decided to market themselves in a different way. I think we may just have a BFOQ situation here where it could be perfectly-acceptable for them to let her go.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I agree with Linda, but my question would be, if the average person lined up all the dancers there, would they be able to note that these two were older, or was this action taken sheerly based on the date of birth she provided for employment?
I could understand a BFOQ that was based on a certain style, but not based on the number they wrote on a piece of paper. For example, the average smoker looks 5 years older than her non-smoking co-worker, so for me to agree with a BFOQ, these two would have to actually look older than their co-workers.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
What does BFOQ stand for?
February 6th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification