The Supreme Court has made it harder to prove age discrimination. In a 5-4 decision the court ruled that workers must prove that age was a key factor in the employment decision. The ruling came in Gross v. FBL Financial Service, Inc. Jack Gross had been the vice-president of FBL Financial Services of West Des Moines, Iowa until 2001 when he was striped of his title. Gross sued under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The narrow ruling raises concerns about employer discrimination protection in these tough economic times.
David Savage, Supreme Court Reporter, L.A. Times
Simon Lazarus, Public Policy Counsel for the National Senior Citizens Law Center
Karen Harned, Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business' Small Business Legal Center