WEST OLIVE, Mich. — A lawsuit filed Tuesday claims Ottawa County discriminated against a man because of his age.
FOX 17 obtained the complaint which says County Administrator John Gibbs purposefully chose a younger candidate for his aide position because he wanted someone who could be “bossed around.”
Ottawa County posted an opening for the position of “Senior Executive Aide” to Gibbs earlier this year.
The lawsuit claims 49-year-old Ryan Kimball from Allendale applied for the position and completed two interviews that resulted in "positive comments" from the panel members.
However, in June, Gibbs allegedly told the county’s Human Resources Director Marcie VerBeek that he wanted to move forward with another applicant, 23-year-old Jordan Epperson.
The lawsuit says VerBeek sent Gibbs a chart listing the qualifications of both candidates based on the job description— Kimball fulfilled 11 out of 12, while Epperson only met two, possibly three.
Gibbs went on to hire the younger of the two in July.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit claims potential witnesses, and others who testified in a separate court proceeding Tuesday afternoon, say Gibbs said he hired Epperson for the job because of his age and because he could be “bossed around.”
You can read through the full complaint below:
Ottawa County Age Discrimination Complaint by WXMI on Scribd
FOX 17 reached out to Ottawa County, which says it cannot comment on pending legal matters.
