Massachusetts Court Grants Temporary Relief in Age Discrimination Suit Against Hightower

Posted on October 29th, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Massachusetts Court Grants Temporary Relief in Age Discrimination Suit Against Hightower

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A Massachusetts court has granted Glenn Frank, a 69-year-old advisor suing Hightower for age discrimination, a preliminary victory by temporarily blocking Hightower from enforcing its non-solicitation covenants against him. According to WealthManagement, Frank alleged that Hightower attempted to force his retirement to favor younger advisors.

Judge Debra Squires-Lee ruled in favor of Frank, citing potential "particularly egregious" harm to his career if the restrictions continued. She noted that Frank’s inability to connect with his long-standing clients would harm him more than any competitive disadvantage to Hightower. The order emphasized that Frank’s clients, many of whom had followed him to his new firm, relied on their relationship with him.

Frank’s complaint details a pattern of alleged age discrimination, claiming that Hightower systematically sidelined him to make way for younger colleagues. In 2021, supervisors removed him from the Investment Committee without notice and allegedly gave control over his client interactions to younger advisors, further reducing his hours and pay. Frank contends that Hightower falsely told clients he was unavailable and eventually suspended him when he announced his intention to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

WealthManagement reports that Hightower declined to comment.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

Hiring Eccleston Law has been one of the best career decisions I have made and this "investment" to maintain my sterling regulatory record has been returned many times over.  If you are in a situation where you've been unfairly accused, don't hesitate to talk with Eccleston Law. They are the best.

Thomas C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

March 11, 2026
SEC and Commonwealth Financial Network Move Toward Settlement in Revenue Sharing Disclosure Case

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commonwealth Financial Network notified a federal court that they are attempting to resolve a long running enforcement dispute involving alleged disclosure failures tied to revenue sharing payments, according to ThinkAdvisor.

March 10, 2026
Northern Trust Faces $35 Million Elder Abuse Lawsuit Over Alleged Trust Theft

Northern Trust faces a lawsuit seeking at least $35 million in damages over allegations that its former vice president stole millions from a $20 million legacy trust belonging to an elderly beneficiary, according to ThinkAdvisor.

March 9, 2026
SEC Alerts Investors as to the Relationship Investment Scam

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has alerted investors that fraudsters increasingly rely on relationship-based investment schemes to steal money.