Woman sues State Farm for age, gender discrimination

An Illinois woman is suing State Farm, claiming she was fired because of her age and gender.

Linda Basili filed a lawsuit June 30 in the Cook County Circuit Court against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.

According to the complaint, Basili started working for State Farm as an agent in 1989, and became an agency field executive in 2001, a position in which she received excellent performance reviews and various awards.

Basili claims a 2012 reduction in force required all agency field executives to reapply for their jobs, and State Farm passed her over for more than 20 positions to hire qualified males or employees with inferior performance.

She was fired on April 30, 2013, according to the suit that alleges gender and age discrimination.

Basili is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, reinstatement and an injunction against the defendant's alleged discriminatory practices. She is being represented in the case by attorney Edward R. Theobald of Law Offices of Edward R. Theobald in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L006891.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.