DANVILLE, PA. Judge rules man was fired for age

DANVILLE, Pa. (AP) -- A federal judge has awarded more than $275,000 to a former Geisinger Health System spokesman, ruling that the health system fired him because of his age.
Though finding that Bob Bomboy, 61, of Mahoning Township, was sometimes "disgruntled, short-tempered and inappropriately loud," U.S. Magistrate Andrew Smyser didn't accept Geisinger's contention that Bomboy was fired for sexually harassing female employees.
Bomboy said he was fired from his $63,000-a-year job in 1998 after 19 years with the Danville-based health system and passed over for a vice president's job that paid $180,000 in 2000.
The $276,492 in compensatory damages includes money for lost wages and for counseling; Bombay was diagnosed with cancer at about the same time.
Geisinger spokesman Chris Johnson says the health system "respectfully disagrees" with the judge's findings and may appeal.
The firing came as Geisinger was trying to make $20 million in budget cuts in the wake of its merger with Penn State, according to court papers.
Mary Ellen Bomboy, speaking on behalf of her husband, said he filed the suit to protect other employees. She declined to say more, saying they had agreed not to comment publicly on the case.