Two former payroll staffers at Dechert have sued their former firm, claiming age and sex discrimination led to their firing in 2016.

Patricia Gindhart, 58, and Dana Dudek, 55, filed a complaint against Dechert on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 2016, Gindhart was a senior payroll manager for Dechert and Dudek was a payroll manager working directly under Gindhart. They each worked at Dechert for 28 and 26 years, respectively.

According to their complaint, they were the two oldest female employees in the payroll department when they were fired in October 2016. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued each of them a right to sue in August, after they filed EEOC complaints about their termination.

Gindhart and Dudek claim that while they were working for the firm, administrative leaders would make comments that showed bias against older women employees. The complaint cites several alleged episodes involving Anthony Licata, who was the firm's chief financial officer from 2008 to 2013, and chief operating officer from 2013 to 2014. He is now COO at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

In one instance, the complaint alleges, Licata remarked to Gindhart that older women employees were only still working at Dechert because they would be unable to find work elsewhere. Gindhart spoke to human relations staff about the remarks, the complaint said, but no action was taken. The complaint also asserts in a footnote that the HR director who took those complaints was terminated soon after Licata became COO.

“Gindhart's termination came on the heels of several complaints she raised with defendant that she was being discriminated against because of her age and/or her sex,” the complaint says. “By way of example, plaintiff Gindhart complained about a culture of bias against older and/or female employees at [Dechert], which included a supervisor calling long-term female employees 'cows' and the encouragement of a 'boys club' that resulted in beneficial treatment for certain younger, male employees of defendant.”

The complaint alleges that the so-called “boys club” was permitted to spend time at the firm on fantasy football drafts, while other employees were not permitted to pursue their own recreational interests during the work day.

When the position of director of financial operations opened up in 2016, the complaint says, Jose Vidal, a male in his 30s, got the job. The complaint asserts that Gindhart and several other female employees had more experience and education than Vidal, but did not get the promotion.

The two plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages for lost earnings as well as pain and suffering, liquidated damages and punitive damages.

Rahul Munshi, Stephen Console and Laura Mattiacci of Console Mattiacci Law are representing Gindhart and Dudek. Console declined to comment on the case.

A spokeswoman for Dechert declined to comment on the complaint. Licata and Morgan Lewis did not respond to a request for comment.