A 67-year-old Fairfield University professor has filed an age discrimination lawsuit claiming the university replaced her as director of the pre-law advising program.

Sharlene McEvoy, who is still employed by the university as a professor of business law, claims the university replaced her from her stipend job solely because of her age.

The federal lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. district court in Hartford. The lawsuit alleges the university violated the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. McEvoy began working at the university in 1986 as an assistant professor of business law.

Serving most recently as director of the pre-law advising program at Fairfield, McEvoy was replaced in September 2016 by someone about 30 years younger, her lawsuit contends.

The lawsuit contends that McEvoy was never told her work in her stipend role was inadequate. The lawsuit also alleges that after McEvoy complained about age discrimination, the university “articulated false and/or pretextual explanations for its decision to replace plaintiff with a significantly younger individual in order to conceal its discrimination.”

The complaint seeks compensatory damages, including past and future lost wages and economic damages, back pay, reinstatement and front pay, liquidated damages and attorney fees.

McEvoy holds a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and is licensed to practice in the state. She also earned her Ph.D. in public administration/political science from the University of California, Los Angeles.

McEvoy is represented by Todd Steigman, a partner with Madsen, Prestley & Parenteau in Hartford. Steigman declined to comment and McEvoy didn't respond to a request for comment. In addition, no one from the university's media relations department responded to a request for comment.

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael Shea of the District of Connecticut.