By: Lee Hagy
Have you been demoted or laid off from a job and felt that your age was a factor in your employer’s decision? Congress today took action to prevent this type of age-discrimination to protect your rights and to make workplaces fair.
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a proposed bill that would reverse the outcome of the Supreme Court’s June finding in Gross v. FBL Financial Services. In that controversial 5-4 decision, the Court held that plaintiffs bringing an age-discrimination case must meet the tough burden of proving that their age was the deciding factor in their demotion or termination.
Prior to this decision, an employee only had to show that age was one of the factors that motivated his or her employer’s adverse employment decision. Once this fact had been established, the burden then fell on the employer to show that it had acted for a valid reason other than age discrimination. The three Congressmen bringing the bill said that the ruling of the Supreme Court created unfair obstacles to the victims of age-discrimination’s ability to hold employers accountable under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
At Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC, we believe that discrimination at work, or anywhere else, has no place in a free and democratic society. Our firm has won precedent-setting decisions involving employment discrimination and is an established authority on this subject. In every matter, whether it involves filing an ADEA complaint on behalf of one individual or litigating a class action lawsuit — we take great pride not only in providing outstanding legal service and representation, but also in simply being there for clients at a time when they need it most.
For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658.