Tag Archives: age discrimination

Aged to Perfection, But You Still Can’t Get a Job

Discrimination debacle

Despite the adage that we get better with age, corporate America appears to uphold a different philosophy.  Several companies, including Goldman Sachs, IBM, Verizon Communications, and Google have become the topics of scrutiny concerning their employee demographics.  According to observations, these companies harbor a tendency to hire younger workers and push out the older generation.  In particular, Google played the defendant role in a recent class-action lawsuit that has now settled.  According to claims, Google denied employment to well-qualified applicants who were not fresh out of college, over the age of 40. Continue reading →

A wooden gavel with a golden band rests on its sound block against a plain white background.

Think Before You Post

Bringing down the gavel

In case you needed one, here’s another reason to be careful about what you post on Facebook. An age discrimination case that originates back to 2010 between Patrick Snay and the Miami-based Gulliver Preparatory School began when “Gulliver declined to renew Snay’s contract following years of employment” (Smiley, Miami Herald, 2014). The case took a surprising turn when Mr. Snay’s daughter, Dana Snay posted an antagonistic comment on Facebook. The comment, which was seen by Dana Snay’s approximately 1,200 Facebook friends, stated “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT” (Stucker, CNN, 2014). Unfortunately for the Snays, Dana’s comment was posted just days before the deal was set to be finalized.

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Age Discrimination Suit Settled for $570k

Show me the money!

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has set a precedent for old geezers everywhere by forcing a law firm to remove restrictions on salary for its older partners as they amble slowly to the grave.  The law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren’s previous policy required partners to give up their salary and controlling interest in the firm when they hit 70 years old, taking only an end-of-the-year bonus as compensation while still practicing law.  Eugene D’Ablemont, a partner in the firm, complained about his forced retirement to the EEOC, who then brought suit against Kelley Drye in 2010. After two years of litigation, Kelley Drye decided that it would be cheaper to settle than continue to wage a court battle. They agreed to drop all pay reductions due to age from their policies and will pay D’Ablemont about $570,000.  Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, though it’s kind of a dubious reward for those of retiring age.  If I’m still kickin’ around at age 70, the last thing I’d want to spend my time doing is practicing law at a law firm, however lucrative the pay may be.

Settlement News in the Entertainment Business

Spin me round

The entertainment world has recently reached a few settlements, and brought some old ones back up for new litigation.

  • A settlement has finally been reached in the Michael Jackson secret recording case. In 2003, as Michael Jackson flew to Santa Barbara, California to turn himself in on child molestation charges, the jet company he hired conspired to record the pop singer and his lawyers.  Shortly thereafter, Jeffrey Borer of XtraJet attempted to sell the video to media outlets in the ensuing media frenzy of that particular trial.  Not exactly the machinations of a smooth criminal, here.  Now, nearly a decade later, Jackson’s attorneys have reached a $750,000 settlement with the now-defunct company, meaning Borer will never have to go to trial for invasion of privacy.

Click here to read two more settlements after the jump: