A former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination. Sandra Testa filed the complaint in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, on September 13, 2024, against GSA Access Group, LLC.

According to the complaint, Testa is an 88-year-old woman who began working for GSA Access Group as a Senior Contracting Specialist around 2011. Throughout her tenure, she was recognized as an exemplary employee who significantly contributed to the company’s profits. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Testa was asked to work from home due to her age and associated health risks. Despite assurances that her pay would remain unchanged, two weeks later she was informed by Mike Toups, President of GSA Access Group, that her compensation structure would be altered. Instead of being paid by commission and hourly wages, she would now be compensated based on commission and “talk time” multiplied by two.

This change meant that although Testa worked eight hours daily, she was only paid for four hours because she spent only two hours on talk time. Meanwhile, other employees who were allowed to work in person continued to receive full pay despite similar or lesser talk times. Repeated requests by Testa to return to the office were denied due to her age. The company even suggested she form her own business and report income using a Form 1099.