Shirley Noble was 78 when she was terminated at Covenant Woods Senior Living in February 2022.

In the final days of her employment, she was hospitalized but decided to return to work when she got better. However, someone younger already took her role at the retirement facility, according to a CBS News report.

The day after, Noble was questioned by her manager about her plans to continue working. Despite expressing her desire to work for two or three more years, she was informed that she was being let go due to a loss of confidence in her abilities, particularly because of her hospitalization.

She sought the help of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed a complaint against the retirement facility.

Covenant Woods and its parent company BrightSpace Senior Living paid Noble $78,000 as a settlement, but said it was not an admission of wrongdoing.

"Covenant Woods Retirement resolved the situation due to the costs and distractions associated with litigation," BrightSpace Chief Financial Officer Brian Hendricks said in a statement.

"Settling this situation was a business decision and certainly not an admission of wrongdoing or discriminatory conduct. We remain thoroughly committed to compliance with all discrimination and labor and employment laws," Hendricks added.