SAN FRANCISCO - Wells Fargo Bank faces a class action lawsuit in California federal court for alleged age discrimination against its customers, according to documents filed on March 10.
The class is represented by plaintiff Jimmy A. Sutton, a Santa Clara County man who accuses the banking service of charging higher service fees for customers who are older than 24 years old, solely based on age.
Sutton says he has banked with Wells Fargo for more than two decades, ever since his first mortgage with the defendant in 1997. As a result of his total balance with Wells Fargo, he was qualified for certain permissions such as no monthly service fees and free ATM use.
In 2018, Wells Fargo allegedly transferred Sutton's mortgage balance elsewhere, which changed his qualification status. He was then allegedly subject to several new fees, including a monthly service fee, a maintenance fee, an ATM fee and fees for cashier's checks. The fees are waived for customers under 24 years old, the suit says.
The plaintiff, who is more than 70 years old, has repeatedly complained to the bank about the fees he has to pay that he would not be subject to if he were younger, the suit says.
Wells Fargo is charged with violating the Unruh Civil Rights Act and violating the Unfair Competition Law. Sutton demands $4,000 in damages for each violation, or each fee charged, for each qualifying member of the class.
Sutton is represented by the Cornerstone Law Group.