Edward Jones Faces Second Age Bias Lawsuit
Edward Jones is facing its second discrimination claim from a former employee in two weeks. In this case, a former branch administrator claims supervisors discriminated against her because of her age before the firm fired her.
In a complaint filed in a California state court, Janette Busby claimed she began working for Edward Jones in 1999 and eventually became a senior branch office administrator at one of the firm’s Sacramento branches.
During her career, Busby allegedly worked for Edward Jones advisor Jerry Newman (with Joseph Ostrander becoming her new supervisor in February 2025). By that year, Busby was 68 years old, and though she needed to take medication that caused temporary cognitive impairment, Busby claimed she could “perform the essential job functions of her position.”
According to the complaint, Busby began hearing from clients that Newman had told them Busby was about to retire, which she had no intention of doing. However, she alleged that the work environment became hostile because of the rumors.
Busby claimed that, starting in February 2025, Edward Jones implemented new systems for scheduling client appointments. Busby claimed she needed time after working with the prior Edward Jones systems, but her supervisors allegedly began writing her up for negative performance reviews (according to Busby, her first).
Additionally, Busby claimed Newman continued to tell clients she was retiring, with Ostrander and other new advisors being “overly critical” of Busby’s work. Busby went to a physician to obtain a medical condition accommodation, but according to Busby, it wasn’t approved.
In early July, the same physician changed her medication and informed her (and the firm) that she could return to work without restrictions. Nevertheless, Edward Jones allegedly fired her several weeks later (after Ostrander and the firm had given a written warning in late June).
According to an Edward Jones spokesperson, the firm had not yet been served with the lawsuit and wasn’t familiar with the specific allegations.
“That said, Edward Jones remains committed to creating a culture of belonging for our associates and clients and making a positive impact in our communities,” the spokesperson said.
Some of the complaint mirrors allegations in a lawsuit filed last week by another former Edward Jones branch office administrator, who claimed the company ignored her complaints that her financial advisor supervisor consistently harassed and discriminated against her.
In the complaint filed in Illinois federal court, Razia Ghausse claimed that when she began work at an Edward Jones branch in a Chicago suburb, financial advisor Ivan Palomares intimidated and insulted her based on her gender, age and religion.
Palomares allegedly told Ghausse that he’d prefer working with “a young female American-born” branch office administrator, and that she was “too old” for the position. Ghausse claims that Edward Jones fired her in August 2025, in part due to her complaints.