An Oklahoma-based oil and gas drilling company will pay $650,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed on behalf of a fired worker and hundreds of unsuccessful job applicants who claimed they were victims of age discrimination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement Friday with Purcell-based Horizontal Well Drillers LLC. The agency alleged in its lawsuit that the company fired a rig hand based on health information obtained from an unlawful medical exam and rejected rig hand applicants older than 40 because of their age. "Oil rig drilling positions are physically and mentally demanding," EEOC regional attorney Andrea Baran said in a statement. "But that doesn't mean people over 40 can't do them successfully." The company liquidated and ceased business operations in 2019, the EEOC said. An attorney for the company, John Tucker, said Horizontal Well Drillers did not admit liability as part of the agreement. He declined to comment further, saying the court documents speak for themselves.
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机译：俄克拉荷马州的一家石油和天然气钻探公司将支付65万美元，以解决代表被解雇工人和数百名没有成功求职的求职者提起的诉讼，这些求职者声称自己是年龄歧视的受害者。美国平等就业机会委员会周五宣布与总部位于赛尔（Purcell）的Horizontal Well Drillers LLC达成和解。该机构在诉讼中称，该公司根据从非法体检获得的健康信息解雇了钻机，并拒绝了年龄超过40岁的钻机申请人。 EEOC地区律师安德里亚·巴兰（Andrea Baran）在一份声明中说：“石油钻机的位置在身体和精神上都要求很高。” “但这并不意味着40岁以上的人不能成功做到这一点。” EEOC表示，该公司于2019年清算并停止了业务运营。该公司的律师约翰·塔克（John Tucker）表示，Horizontal Well Drillers不接受该协议中的责任。他拒绝进一步评论，称法院文件不言自明。
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