Fired Wells Fargo Brokers File Age, Race Discrimination Suit

Two former Wells Fargo Advisors brokers and managers have sued their former firm, alleging they were fired last year due to age and racial discrimination by the company.

In a complaint filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division, against Wells Fargo Bank, plaintiffs Timothy Poppens, 64, and Bryan Palonis, 62, claimed their former firm fired them for being over 60 and Caucasian, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Wells Fargo declined to comment on the complaint Tuesday.

Poppens worked for Wells Fargo for 33 years in various leadership roles. Until March 2022, he had the role of market leader for the Northern Indiana market for Wells Fargo Advisors.

In February 2022, Poppens received a call from his direct supervisor, Kent Caldwell-Meeks, described in the complaint as a “substantially younger and African American” supervisor who was Midwest divisional leader for Wells Fargo Advisors.

Poppens was informed Wells Fargo decided to combine the two Indiana markets and appoint one market leader for the entire state of Indiana, according to the complaint. Caldwell-Meeks told Poppens the company decided to “package him out” of his role as market leader of the Northern Indiana market.

At his request, Poppens was demoted to manager of a branch in Fort Wayne, Indiana, instead of taking a separation package, according to the complaint. After that change, Poppens learned Caldwell-Meeks hired Joel Coleman, described in the complaint as a “substantially younger, African American,” as Indiana state market leader.