PJP Health Agency insurance brokerage closing, layoffs set after feds sue over age discrimination

A Melville-based health insurance brokerage plans to close some or all of its business and lay off 95 employees, a state filing shows.

The mandatory filing by PJP Health Agency Inc. comes almost three months after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the brokerage over what the federal agency called "egregious" age discrimination.

The company cited a loss of its operating license in its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing, or WARN. The filing didn't explain what prompted the loss of the license or how many employees the company has. Neither its executives nor its attorney have returned telephone calls seeking comment.

It also couldn't be learned whether the WARN notice would affect the age discrimination lawsuit. The EEOC declined to comment. Both sides were scheduled to meet Tuesday for a conference, according to a copy of a letter the EEOC sent to the judge handling the case in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

The WARN notice, filed with the State Labor Department, is dated Oct. 29 but lists an Oct. 21 closing date. It says the closing would affect 55 employees in Melville and 40 in Lake Success.

In July, the EEOC sued the company, claiming that managers there made profane, derogatory, age-related comments to three employees over the age of 40 and later replaced them with younger workers. The company and its lawyer have declined to comment on the allegations.

The state WARN statute covers companies with at least 50 full-time employees. It requires at least a 90-day written notice to employees in advance of a mass layoff or closing. Companies that don't give enough notice have to pay employees or face civil penalties.