Nine assisted living communities in Georgia and California are facing legal scrutiny over allegations that they discriminated against employees and prospective residents. In one case, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that Covenant Woods, a Columbus, GA, personal care and independent living community operated by Covenant Woods Senior Living and BrightSpace Senior Living, fired a 78-year-old employee after she briefly was hospitalized. The woman, who had been a receptionist for 14 years and had been recognized as an employee of the year in January 2022, was replaced by a “significantly younger employee,” according to the EEOC.