Age Discrimination Victims Gain Significant Victory Before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court in Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Labs issued a pro-employee decision that will make proving age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) more practical. We blogged about this case in January 2008 when the Supreme Court first granted certiorari: Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in Retaliation and Age Discrimination Cases.

In Meacham, Knolls Atomic Power Labs terminated 31 employees, all but one of whom were 40 years old or older. The employees brought suit under the ADEA and prevailed before a jury. The Second Circuit overturned the verdicts, reasoning that the burden of proof rested with the workers. In its decision, the Supreme Court vacated the Second Circuit’s ruling, finding that Congress intended the burden of persuasion to fall with the employer.

To read more about the decision, please visit the New York Times article entitled, Supreme Court Eases Age Bias Suits for Workers.