In a significant legal development, a former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer for alleged age discrimination. Yvette Bergeron filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on August 22, 2024, naming Commerce Title & Abstract Company as the defendant.
The lawsuit claims that Bergeron, who was employed by Commerce Title from November 1, 2020, until her termination on April 12, 2023, faced discriminatory practices based on her age. According to the complaint, Bergeron is a highly experienced real estate attorney with nearly three decades of expertise in the field. She had previously worked for Commerce Title under different ownership from 1995 to 2008 before leaving to start her own title business. In Fall 2020, she was persuaded by Calvert Stone and Dominique "Niki" Beeson, Managing Attorneys and Owners of Commerce Title, to return to the company under specific conditions.
Bergeron's return was contingent upon two of her closing processors joining her at Commerce Title to assist with closings. Despite this agreement, Bergeron alleges that she frequently lacked in-person assistance during closings, which forced her to work additional hours and take work home. The complaint states that this created a hostile work environment aimed at compelling her resignation.
The situation escalated when Mr. Stone emailed Bergeron on April 13, 2023, suggesting it was time for them "to go our separate ways." Shortly thereafter, Ms. Beeson reportedly told Bergeron that she was being "unnecessarily disruptive" and pointed out that younger attorneys did not require in-person assistance. This led to Bergeron's termination and subsequent severance agreement issues.
Bergeron asserts that her discharge was due to age discrimination and highlights that after her termination, all younger full-time attorneys remained employed while her position stayed vacant. The lawsuit claims violations of both federal law under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and state law under Louisiana's Employment Discrimination Law.
Bergeron seeks various forms of relief from the court including lost back pay, front pay, bonuses, restored benefits, compensatory damages for emotional pain and suffering, attorney fees, expert witness fees, court costs, interest and civil penalties as allowed under ADEA and Louisiana Employment Discrimination Laws.
Representing Yvette Bergeron is Amanda Hilgendorf from Miller & Hilgendorf law firm located in Baton Rouge. The case is assigned Case ID: 3:24-cv-00692-JWD-SDJ with Judge John W. deGravelles presiding.