CLARKSBURG – A man and his wife are suing Lowe’s Home Centers after claiming he was discriminated against because of his age when he received a pay cut.
Mike Bennett and Jeremy Randolph were also named as defendants in the suit.
William Joseph Titchnell was hired as a warehouse worker in 1994 and was promoted sometime after to freight manager, according to a complaint filed March 15 in Harrison Circuit Court and removed to federal court on April 19.
William Titchnell and his wife, Vickie Lynn Titchnell, claim he began to have health issues relating to stress from his job such as headaches, anxiety and high blood pressure a discussed this with Bennett and Randolph, who were manager and supervisor.
On Aug. 29, 2015, he was verbally informed that if he stepped down and tool a less stressful position, he could maintain his current pay, so he took the position on Sept. 12, 2015, according to the suit.
The plaintiffs claim he continued to receive his previous salary until he was informed in March 2016 that his salary would be decreased from $18.46 per hour to $13.06 per hour.
William Titchnell believed the pay cut was due to participating in an investigation into complaints made by another employee.
The plaintiffs claim William Titchnell was also discriminated against based on his age, as younger employees in the department with less experience were making higher rates of pay.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. They are represented by Erika Klie Kolenich of Klie Law Offices.
The defendants are represented by Eric W. Iskra and Sarah E. Kowalkowski of Spilman Thomas & Battle.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia case number: 1:18-cv-00074