The May 3, 2013 deadline for former Hershey Customer Sales Executives or Category Development Managers who were age 40 or older and were involuntarily terminated on or after January 1, 2009, to join the pending age discrimination case of Barnes vs. The Hershey Company (CV-01334-CRB (NC)) is only three weeks away.
The Brandi Law Firm has received inquiries regarding the case and a common question involves whether the Severance Agreement containing a release signed is a BAR to joining the suit. The answer is a resounding NO. If you previously signed a Severance Agreement or Release, you are still eligible to join this case.
Two of the current plaintiffs had signed severance agreements containing releases. In 2012, Hershey filed a motion with the Court seeking to have the claims of two of the three plaintiffs dismissed based on releases signed by them. The Court denied Hershey’s request to dismiss, ruling that Hershey had not met its burden of showing that legal releases signed by the plaintiffs were valid under federal law.
Former Hershey employees who are joining this case recognize they were wrongfully terminated and want to hold Hershey accountable. They thought they were barred from joining because they signed severance agreement, but now know they are free to pursue their claims. If you wish further information or would like to join this action to protect your rights when you were wrongfully terminated by Hershey contact Brian Malloy at the Brandi Law Firm at 800-481-1615 ([email protected]).