Ex-Community Action Mpls. workers claim age discrimination

The defunct organization Community Action of Minneapolis now faces an age discrimination lawsuit from six former employees.

The employees all lost their jobs in 2013, a year before the state shut the organization down. They'd all worked there for decades and say they'd had positive performance reviews until shortly before they were fired and replaced with younger workers.

A state audit last year found Community Action of Minneapolis had misspent hundreds of thousands of dollars in public grant money. That prompted the state to cut off funding to the organization, which provided energy assistance and other services to low-income residents of the city.

A Ramsey County judge is in the process of dissolving Community Action of Minneapolis. A receiver appointed by the judge has recommended not paying claims from the former employees, saying the organization's insurance company is responsible for them.