Ocean County Woman Says Wells Fargo Fired Her For Missing Sales Goals: Report

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township woman has filed suit against Wells Fargo, claiming she was fired for missing sales goals that were so unreasonable that other employees cheated customers to save their jobs, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press reported that Lenore Kuter, 61, of Manchester, filed the suit in state Superior Court, claiming she refused to sell products to customers who didn't need them and signed a petition protesting the company's practices, but her objections were ignored.

She was fired in July after 19 years with the company, the report said.

On Sept. 8, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced the bank agreed to pay $185 million in fines for creating about 1.5 million bank accounts and 565,000 credit card accounts that may not have been authorized by consumers.

A number of lawsuits have been filed against the San Francisco-based bank in the wake of the settlement, and the bank's CEO, John Stumpf, has come under fire in Congress.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo is the biggest bank in Monmouth and Ocean counties with 57 branches and 18 percent of the region's deposits.

Wells Fargo fired 5,300 employees who it said opened unauthorized accounts andended its products sales goals for retail bankers.

The Press report says lawsuit said Wells Fargo violated The New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act that protects employees from retaliation for refusing to participate in illegal or fraudulent activities. It also accuses the company of age discrimination, wrongful termination and gender discrimination. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages. The Press said Wells Fargo officials would not comment.

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