Gary Rees, 78, accuses the town of Cumberland, Maine that his age played a role in his firing as an Assistant Golf Professional at the city-owned Val Halla Golf Course. Before filing the lawsuit, Rees received right-to-sue letters from the Maine Human Rights Commission and its federal counterpart, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, though neither agency issued findings in the case.

Gary Rees, 78, has sued the town of Cumberland, Maine for age discrimination in federal court, the Bangor Daily News reported. Rees claims he was illegally fired as a golf professional at the city-owned Val Halla Golf Course.

Rees is seeking unspecified damages from the town, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, the Daily News reported. Town manager William Shane declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Before his firing, Rees worked as a golf pro for 45 years, the Daily News reported. He was Head Golf Professional at Val Halla between 1976 and 1980 and then again between 1984 and 1992. He was working as an Assistant Golf Professional when he was fired in January 2021.

Rees was the only golf pro at the course who was a PGA professional, the Daily News reported, and he had run one of the largest junior programs in the state when he served as Val Halla’s head golf pro, according to the complaint.

Rees claims he began experiencing age discrimination after a new head golf pro, Nick Plummer, who is about 40 years younger than Rees, was hired in 2019, the complaint said. The younger man allegedly told Rees when he fired him that the course wanted to go in “a younger direction,” the Daily News reported. Plummer is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

Rees enjoyed teaching and working one-on-one with members, his attorney, Laura White, said in the complaint, the Daily News reported.

“Plummer falsely claimed that part of the reason for Rees’s termination was that Rees did not want to give golf lessons anymore,” the complaint said. “This was false because Rees spent years running a junior golf program and he was a high school golf coach for many years. Rees has always enjoyed teaching golf lessons.”

The town manager allegedly asked Rees how Plummer was doing in his first year on the job, the Daily News reported.

“Rees told Shane candidly that Plummer seemed to lack experience and dedication to the job,” the complaint said. “For instance, Plummer often did not show up on weekends [during the golf season] until 11 a.m.”

Before filing the lawsuit, Rees received right-to-sue letters from the Maine Human Rights Commission and its federal counterpart, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Daily News reported. Neither agency issued findings in the case.