This is the email to Mr. Herd from Pam DuFour inviting him to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. . . a reason I was discriminatorily fired. . .

While AARP tried to make things complicated during each court appearance, every filing, and at trial to hide their discrimination, what happened is actually very simple. I was fired for accepting Valuable Privileges and breaking the Code of conduct by Mr. Flanagan. This meant accepting dinner and a show from Source Marketing and for accepting tickets and hotel lodging for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. During discovery we proved that others similarly situated did exactly the same thing. Only I was targeted and fired for doing these things.

Once evidence proved this, the focus became it being a semi-final game - not something that someone who doesn't follow college football like me would know. Mr. Herd, who had season tickets to VA Tech every year I worked at AARP and part of his office bookcase dedicated to the team with photos of his family and him attending games, said he didn't know either - he was given a pass and was not fired.

Also, from Mr. Flanagan's deposition in October 2019, where he stated he was the sole decision maker, the reason I was fired became that I was a liar. If I was fired because I was a liar, why was that not the reason? I was fired for violating the Code of Conduct, that would have been a violation. It is because it simply is not true. During the course of 6 years, AARP had to keep changing the reasons and who fired me to try to justify their discrimination when the evidence kept proving over and over I should not have been fired as I did nothing different from my straight co-workers. The straight men are believed and given a pass, the gay ones fired. This happened to the other gay employee they settled with (you don't settle with someone if you aren't guilty) and me who proved my discrimination in court.

Mr. Herd, who was my employee at the time, was invited by Pam DuFour to the Allstate Sugar Bowl (see below). Mr. Austin had attended two times in the past, something I knew and Laurel Gillis put in an email to Mr. Easley (the one he did not show anyone or include as part of his "investigation") and I shared during my "interview" with Mr. Easely. He never followed up with Mr. Austin who still worked at AARP.

Here is where this all started, Mr. Herd was the only person invited:

Mr. Herd forwarded the email and we spoke on the floor near the copier close to my office. He made the case as to why he thought it was important to me. What he did not include in this discussion, and something I did not know until I heard him say it on the stand in March 2024, apparently he was invited several times and Laurel told him he should not go.

I had been on the account with Mr. Herd for a couple years at this time and I didn't know he had ever been invited. If he was previously told he should not go, why did Mr. Herd even start this and have the conversation with me? Also, speaking with Laurel was something everyone did when we had a question for legal and who my manager, Ms. Borton, told me to speak to. It is in her testimony.

To recap:

• Mr. Herd was the only person initially invited and had a conversation that convinced me it was a good business opportunity to spend time with our new counterpart at Allstate (never disclosing he was told the many times he was invited he should not go)

• I went to my manager and had the discussion and she told me to speak with Laurel - which I did

• Mr. Austin, who went to the Sugar Bowl two times in a row, also said when he had travel questions, he would go to Laurel

• I spoke with Laurel as my manager asked me to after she sent me an email asking if I was in my office and if she could come speak with me. This email was evidence in the trial. There was no reason to NOT speak with her.

  • During our conversation, she asked a couple of questions, said Mr. Austin had gone in the past and told me to make sure my husband Marks expenses were separate. This was also before I confirmed to Allstate I was going and before I purchased any travel. All shared at trial.

The only person who said that said she would never give permission and send people to Stephanie Kandel is Laurel Gillis. So, four people said they would speak to Laurel Gillis about these things and the only person who said this was not true was Laurel Gillis. Ms. Gillis is still employed by AARP.

To read a fuller account of this, please go to Integrity post.