• Pleadings
• Orders
• Media

Media Coverage

From this page you can download or visit any of the articles associated with this case.

When Gray Heads Roll, Is Age Bias at Work?

The New York Times
Published: January 30, 2005

Summary: As the American work force grows older, employers are likely to see more lawsuits alleging age discrimination like those filed against 3M, Best Buy and Sprint. These suits describe employment practices that make “gray heads roll” such as evaluating older employees more stringently than younger employees resulting in termination rates out of proportion with the representation of older employees in the workforce. Companies have every right to rate employees on their performance, but the law prohibits prejudging individuals based on age. Plaintiffs’ counsel Susan Coler noted that the 3M complaint alleges that “older people are more likely to be put into the lower-ranking groups” during evaluation processes at the company. The complaint further accuses 3M of denying training opportunities to older employees. AARP attorney Tom Osborne noted that the discrimination is subtle. “It’s not the blatant: ‘Jones, you’re too old, we’re firing you, . . . ” Instead it’s adopting evaluation systems “that happen to reverse the career-long high performance rankings of older employees.”