Halunen & Associates

Bemidji Pioneer - AP
Four women are suing a company owned by Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, alleging they were discriminated against because of their age and gender when they were laid off.

The lawsuits, filed last month in Ramsey County District Court, name Taymark Inc., one of over 100 subsidiaries of Taylor’s flagship company, North Mankato-based Taylor Corp.

The plaintiffs include Barbara Benedict, 60; Betty Dueber, 47; and Angela Proper and Gina Lynch, whose ages weren’t given. They say they were replaced by less qualified, less experienced and much younger people.

Dueber also alleges she was fired in part for seeking workers compensation benefits. Proper claims she was the victim of sexual harassment and retaliation for objecting to discriminatory treatment, and Lynch alleges she was terminated because she was pregnant and on leave.

According to Taylor Corp.’s Web site, White Bear Lake-based Taymark “provides youth-oriented promotional and recognition products, including prom and special event decorations.”

The lawsuits say the four women were among several employees laid off in a restructuring in June 2007. They allege Taymark managers chose people for termination based on their age, salary levels, years of service, accrued vacation and sick leave, and whether they had filed workers compensation claims.

They allege that exceptions were made for close personal friends of management, and that managers were encouraged to keep younger, less productive but lower-paid employees. And they claim some men with histories of inappropriate workplace conduct were retained, along with women whose male managers found them attractive.

“The company vigorously disputes the allegations contained in the lawsuits and is confident it will prevail,” Taymark’s attorney, John Hauge, said Tuesday.

In a response filed with the court recently, the company says several women hold key positions within the organization, and that it has followed all laws and addressed all workplace complaints in a timely and appropriate manner, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported. It says any damages the women suffered were their own doing or were caused by third parties over whom the company had no control.

The four lawsuits each seek damages in excess of $50,000, with the amount to be determined at trial.

The women’s attorney, Joni Thome, said the two sides had been in discussions for a while before they decided it was necessary to file the lawsuits. She said no proceedings are scheduled.

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