TRENTON, NJ – A 59-year-old New Jersey Amazon warehouse employee’s age discrimination lawsuit will move forward in part, after a federal judge ruled that he presented enough facts to support claims of a hostile work environment and unequal treatment compared to younger workers.
John Hopkins, who began working at Amazon’s North Jersey warehouse in 2017 and was promoted in 2021, alleges that managers repeatedly sidelined him for opportunities, referred to him as “the old man,” and intentionally denied him proper training and access to necessary job systems. He claims the company promoted younger, less experienced workers ahead of him and disciplined him more harshly for using benefits such as voluntary time off.
In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner partially denied Amazon’s motion to dismiss Hopkins’ amended complaint. The court found that Hopkins provided specific and plausible allegations under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), particularly with regard to a hostile work environment and disparate treatment.
According to court filings, Hopkins first applied for a promotion to “Process Assistant Level 3” in early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic. He was told he was a strong candidate but was not officially promoted until March 2021—after he raised concerns of age discrimination. During that delay, multiple younger employees were promoted ahead of him.
Even after receiving the promotion, Hopkins says discriminatory treatment escalated. Management allegedly called him “the old man” when assigning physical tasks, denied him training, and ultimately passed him over for a further promotion in 2022. The position was instead given to a younger employee, with Amazon stating Hopkins lacked “proper training”—the very training he claims was withheld.
Hopkins also alleges that after complaining to supervisors and Amazon’s HR department, no investigation occurred and management’s treatment of him worsened.
While the judge granted part of Amazon’s motion, dismissing certain unspecified claims, the core allegations of age-related bias and retaliation will proceed.
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Key Points
- Amazon warehouse employee claims he faced age discrimination and was referred to as “the old man” by management
- Judge allowed key claims to proceed, including allegations of hostile work environment, unequal training, and denial of promotion
- Lawsuit alleges that Amazon ignored internal complaints and promoted younger workers with less experience
Amazon worker says he was mocked as ‘old man’ and passed over for promotion in age bias suit
