TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Enterprise Leasing Company of Florida, LLC, is to pay $1.8 million and provide significant non-monetary relief to settle a federal age discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced.

Enterprise Leasing operates National, Enterprise, and Alamo car rental services in Florida.

The EOCC said Enterprise failed to hire candidates aged 40 or older for its management trainee position from at least 2019 to the present.

“Over a third of the adult workforce in the United States is age 50 or older,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid. “Employers cannot overlook qualified applicants simply because of their age.”

Approximately 15 percent of the applications the company received for the position were from applicants 40 or above, but the workers represented less than 3 percent of all hires.

According to the EOCC, more than 125 witnesses who could testify said that they were asked their age or graduation year during the interview process, were told by the company hiring officials that most candidates were fresh out of college, were discouraged from pursuing the position, or were subjected to other age-related comments.

“Workers in this protected age group bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the workforce and can contribute to organizational success. This settlement reflects the EEOC’s commitment to ensuring that all individuals have equal access to employment opportunities, regardless of age, ” EEOC Miami District Director Evangaline Hawthorne said.

In addition to the monetary relief to the class of older applicants, the three-year consent decree requires Enterprise to implement sweeping injunctive relief, the EEOC said.

This includes:

• Implementing new ADEA polices
• Yearly ADEA training
• Posting of a notice about the lawsuit
• Mandatory investigations of all complaints of age discrimination

For more information on age discrimination, visit their website.