Age-bias case vs. Google can move forward, state Supreme Court rules

[Newsjock]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a former Google executive who brought an age discrimination suit against the company, clearing the way for a trial over whether his firing was discriminatory.

The Supreme Court reviewed a San Jose appeals court's earlier conclusion that Brian Reid, who was fired from his job as Google's engineering director in 2004, was entitled to take his case to trial because he'd presented enough evidence for a review of whether the company engaged in age discrimination.

"The Court of Appeal properly considered evidence of alleged discriminatory comments made by decision makers and coworkers along with all other evidence in the record," the Supreme Court concluded in a decision made public this morning.

Google recruited Reid, who had managed the team that built one of the first Internet search engines at AltaVista, in summer 2002. But the company fired Reid, then 54, within two years, because he was not a "cultural fit" for the company, after co-workers and a supervisor had allegedly described him as "an old man," "slow," "sluggish" and "an old fuddy-duddy."

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15683556

[virgogal]

1. I hope he wins.

[morillon]

5. So do I.

"Cultural fit" in this case is code for "He's not young and slackery like we are." They were very stupid to use those words.

[boppers]

2. There have been whispers about this problem at google for a while now.

I have no problem believing that he wasn't a good cultural fit, but if that's because the culture is discriminatory, that's a legal problem.

[greiner3]

3. "an old man," "slow," "sluggish" and "an old fuddy-duddy."

Damn; fits me to a T.

[onehandle]

4. Google is all about young slaves that can work long hours. Microsoft 2.0 nt

[roxiejules]

6. Remember when 'they' said 50 is the new 30?

They didn't really mean it. Just a way to sell us more crap.

No one ever says, 'You're old; we don't want you'. Instead, employers just make up reasons to get rid of you.

[regnaD kciN]

7. Wow...amazing to see this make LBN...

I knew Brian for years as the admin for a progressive-Christian mailing list I'm on. As someone who's 54 myself now, I hope he takes Google to the cleaners!