ACLU files sex and age discrimination suit against Newport Grand

Also in 2017, Borrelli said a new female employee 25 years younger than her with no casino experience was hired as an external applicant as a cage manager for the Tiverton Casino Hotel for $45,000 a year.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island on Wednesday filed a sex- and age-discrimination lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the corporation that owns Newport Grand, on behalf of an employee who claimed she was paid $4,000 less yearly than a male co-worker.

Paula Borrelli, a Narragansett resident in her late 60s who works as a night manager, also claimed she was assigned to train a much younger new employee who was hired with no casino experience to become a cage manager for the soon-to-open Tiverton casino at higher salary.

The lawsuit against Premier Entertainment LLC seeks a court ruling declaring Newport Grand’s conduct unlawful, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. It also seeks payment of the differential between what she was paid and what she would have received in the absence of sex discrimination or age discrimination, including any pay raises, bonuses and benefits.

Premier Entertainment LLC is a corporate name used by Twin River Management Group, which operates Newport Grand and the Twin River Casino in Lincoln.

A press release issued Wednesday morning by the ACLU said Borrelli has been employed by Newport Grand since 2008 and in 2016 learned that a male employee hired around the same time was making $4,000 more per year. She requested a pay equity increase during a performance review in December 2016, which she said was ignored and then formally denied without explanation in May 2017.

“When I became aware that my fellow colleague who is a man was receiving more money than I was for the same job we were both doing, I was quite surprised. So was he,” Borrelli said in a prepared statement. “I inquired if I was able to get a raise to bring me up to the same salary, but I was brushed off for months.”

Also in 2017, Borrelli said a new female employee 25 years younger than her with no casino experience was hired as an external applicant as a cage manager for the Tiverton Casino Hotel for $45,000 a year. Borelli was earning $43,260 and said the position was not posted internally. Although the job had a different title, Borrelli and other managers trained the employee and they had similar duties.

Newport Grand currently has 160 employees, according to company spokeswoman Patti Doyle.

Doyle said the company does not comment on personnel matters or lawsuits. She said the schedule for the Newport Grand closing will be announced soon.

The state gaming license for Newport Grand will be transferred to the Tiverton Casino Hotel, which will feature 32 table games and up to 1,000 slot machines. The Newport Grand property on Admiral Kalbfus Road was sold in May for $10.15 million to Carpionato Group, which plans a mix of retail, restaurants, office space and perhaps a hotel on the site. The Tiverton casino is scheduled to open Sept. 1.

ACLU of Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown confirmed that Borrelli had been offered a position at the new Tiverton casino.

Brown acknowledged it is rare for the Rhode Island chapter to take on employment discrimination cases in the private sector, but it decided to get involved given the attention given to Newport Grand and the Tiverton casino in the 2016 election and at the State House.

“We thought taking a suit like this was helpful in bringing public attention to the problem,” Brown said. “Those who deal with employment discrimination find it to be a practice that is not rare.”

Providence attorney Lynette Labinger filed the lawsuit on behalf of the ACLU and Borrelli.

“Even though the federal Equal Pay Act has been on the books since 1963, gender inequality in compensation remains an unfortunate reality,” Labinger said in the press release. “Ms. Borrelli’s experience demonstrates the importance of transparency in compensation information, and it demonstrates the critical need for strong anti-discrimination laws to allow victims to vindicate their rights.”