Brian Reid claims that he was terminated from his position as a Google director because of his elderly age, but the 54-year-old man is now firing back at Google Inc. with a legal claim. The former director says that he was constantly being harassed on the job, where he was criticized for being "sluggish," "lethargic" and "an old fuddy duddy."
According to the Los Angeles Times, a California appeals court recently ruled that Brian Reid presented sufficient evidence of age discrimination to have his case brought before a jury. His employment lawyer, Paul Killion, argued that his client was hired with Google at 52 years of age when the company wanted to increase their credibility with lenders. But since his hiring, he has faced age discrimination to a youth-oriented corporate culture.
In the workplace, it's illegal to discriminate against employees or applicants who are 40 years of age and older based on their age. Such age discrimination violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) at the federal level. FindLaw states that the law applies to any private or public employers with at least 20 employees.
Brian Reid's lawsuit against Google includes statistical evidence that shows how older workers tend to receive worse evaluations and lower bonuses than the company's younger employees. Yet the lawyers for Google have denied age discrimination within the company.
Paul Crane, who represents Google, claims that there's nothing age related about being lethargic or sluggish. And because the plaintiff was hired at the age of 52, Paul Crane is arguing that the whole argument of age discrimination at Google is contradictory.
Under the law, employees and applicants have legal rights that protect workers from age discrimination. Any who believes that their rights have been violated under ADEA, should contact a Houston employment lawyer.
Related Resources:
- Your Rights Against Age Discrimination (FindLaw)
- Age Discrimination Standard Changed by Supreme Court (FindLaw's Free Enterprise Blog)
- Look For a Houston Employment Lawyer (FindLaw)
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