Penguin Group hit with age discrimination suit

Some well-kept secrets at Penguin Group, most notably the succession plan for its CEO, were put on display late Wednesday with the filing of an age discrimination lawsuit by the book publisher's former longtime head of corporate communications, Marilyn Ducksworth. Her lawyers charge Penguin with dismantling her staff and diminishing her executive responsibilities "in an orchestrated, coordinated effort to force her to leave." In addition, Penguin retaliated when she protested the company's "discriminatory actions against her and other older employees," the complaint said. Ms. Ducksworth, 56, resigned Aug. 31. She had been senior vice president of corporate communications and executive director of publicity of the imprints G.P. Putnam's Sons and Riverhead Books, and associate publisher of Putnam. On Thursday, the suit was a source of much discussion in the closely knit publishing world, where Ms. Ducksworth is widely liked and highly regarded. Age discrimination is also a sensitive topic at publishing houses, insiders say, pointing to the constant pressure to cut costs, which can make high-salaried veterans more likely to be targeted in restructurings. Penguin, a unit of the U.K.-based publishing giant Pearson, disputes the charges. "Marilyn Ducksworth has been a valued Penguin employee for many years," a company spokeswoman said in a statement. "She made the decision to resign and left the company of her own volition on Aug. 31st. We are saddened that she has chosen to... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2012-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]

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