Indiana residents may be interested in a case involving a 57-year-old man who claims in a lawsuit that he was terminated by Twitter in September of 2013 due to his age. According to the filing, the man was fired without warning, and he had received performance reviews that met or exceeded expectations. The suit also alleges that he had received at least one critical mark regarding his age from a supervisor.
The suit also suggests that the man was replaced by employees in their 20s and 30s and that many in management were in their 20s and 30s as well. Court documents note that the former manager of data center deployment was not given a chance to discuss whatever concerns the company may have had before being let go. Twitter says that the case is without merit and they will defend themselves against the claims.
An employer that engages in age discrimination could be in violation of federal employment law. With the help of an employment law attorney, it may be possible to take action against any employer that lets go of an employee solely due to his or her age. A jury that finds that an employee was let go due to age discrimination may award that employee compensation for lost wages in addition to a possible punitive award.
While a company does have the right to terminate employees for failing to do a good job, there must be proof that this is the case. An employment attorney may point to positive job reviews as evidence that an employee was let go for reasons other than job performance. In addition, any critical comments either in writing or made to the employee about his or her age may also be used as proof of discrimination in court.
Source: CNBC, “Twitter hit with age discrimination lawsuit“, July 16, 2014
