Former
Courier-Journal Vice President of Circulation Mike Huot was laid off last year, and is now suing the C-J and parent company Gannett for age discrimination.Huot's total compensation was over $300,000,
according to Gannett Blog. His lawsuit alleges that the paper brought in a younger employee to replace him. Today,
Gannett Blog posted a copy of Huot's lawsuit.
No wonder he sued: GCI offered him severance of 25 weeks' pay -- his base salary was $224,000 -- plus his prorated 2011 bonus, equal to $32,400, according to the complaint.
Bear in mind that, with stock awards, Huot's total annual compensation was $300,000 or more.
That severance offer was what you'd expect GCI to give to a Joe Anybody employee -- not a high-level executive with decades of tenure who'd won at least 13 coveted President's Rings.
To keep costs down, Gannett has instituted a number of buyouts and layoffs, which eliminate higher salaries in the organization (
bonuses may be a different matter). But, the plan has led to other suits like Huot's. Recently,
an Indianapolis Star employee filed an age discrimination suit after being let go, then replaced by a younger writer.
A similar suit was also filed for layoffs at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
