Age can be a touchy subject for some women (and men!). But for the former marketing director of radio giant Westwood One, it’s cause for litigation.
Barbara Mattera, 48, who spent a year at the company, claims in a $750,000 age discrimination suit filed this week in Manhattan Supreme Court that she was let go from her job handling national ad sales because of her age.
She charges that, despite her vast experience—she has worked for CBS, Bozell Advertising and Katz Communications—her bosses diverted work to sales reps in their late 20s and early 30s.
Then, about a year after she joined the company, she was swept up in a round of layoffs—only to be replaced weeks later by a 29-year-old, she says.
In 2007, when she was 44, Mattera made the same claim against Clear Channel Broadcasting, saying in a $3 million age discrimination case that the communications company was dumping older employees in favor of a “young and sexy” sales staff with lower salary expectations.
She was repeatedly referred to as a “senior” member of the sales staff and other younger female ad reps were called “hot honeys,” according to the court records.
Both sides agreed to drop the case a year later with no money exchanging hands, according to court records.
Reached by phone, a spokeswoman for Westwood One said the company had not seen the suit, Mattera’s allegations all the same.
“We follow all equal employment rules for a publicly traded company,” said Chris Miller. “We have a track record of obeying the law.”
Materra's lawyer, Sanford Greenberg, said the complaint speaks for itself. He declined to comment about the Clear Channel suit.
