A former employee is suing Jewelry Television for wrongful termination and age discrimination, charging the company deliberately tried to reduce employees who increased its “loss exposure” in the healthcare and the workman’s compensation areas, according to Knox News.

The plaintiff in the suit is Steve Gordon, a former company VP who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma a year after his hiring. Gordon alleges company executives discussed the company’s increasing health care costs with him, including those related to his cancer treatment.

Gordon was let go last May as part of a company-wide workforce reduction, the newspaper said.

The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, is looking for $10 million and lost pay as well as expenses related to Gordon’s cancer treatment.

JCK