St. Pierre, who was 47 when terminated in October 2020, and Wright, who was 59, began working for DuPont in 1995. According to their October 2022 complaint, St. Pierre cut several locks in violation of DuPont’s “life-saving rules” in September 2020. Wright witnessed the act and both argued that cutting the locks was necessary due to urgent machinery repairs and that following protocol was not feasible at the time.
The plaintiffs also claimed they received approval from their supervisor to cut the locks and that Schorr and other employees were aware of their actions. However, Schorr denied any involvement and later led the investigation that resulted in their terminations.
Disputed Role of Schorr
St. Pierre and Wright argued that Schorr’s investigation was a cover for age discrimination, asserting that he was aware and even participated in the decision to cut the locks. Schorr allegedly rode in a golf cart with St. Pierre as he cut the locks, supporting the former employees’ claim that the investigation was pretextual.
