Ex Employee Files Facebook Age Discrimination Lawsuit

A former employee of the social media magnate Facebook has filed an age discrimination lawsuit in California state court alleging that numerous derogatory comments and statements were made in front of management personnel that constituted age discrimination.

Federal Laws Against Age Discrimination

Age discrimination is prohibited under the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. That Act applies to people of all ages, but the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects employees and applicants 40 years of age and older from being discriminated against on the basis of age when it comes to discharge, hiring, compensation, promotion, terms, privileges, or conditions of employment. This is enforced in the U.S. through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Allegations Raised in the Facebook Age Discrimination Lawsuit

The 52-year-old employee who initiated the Facebook age discrimination lawsuit argued that the company is responsible for age discrimination, disability discrimination, illegal retaliation, and wrongful discharge in addition to other things. Some of the comments allegedly made by younger employees and named in the Facebook age discrimination lawsuit include:

• “Old people are just creepy,” and
• “Old people don’t belong at Facebook.”

In the fall of 2015 the employee who filed the Facebook age discrimination lawsuit took medical leave and was falsely accused of taking unauthorized leave in addition to failing to meet the performance expectations for the company. He was informed at that time that he would be terminated on the first day of the following month and was offered money in exchange for a full release of any claims he might allege against Facebook.

When he was let go on November 1, 2015, the employee who filed the Facebook age discrimination lawsuit argued that he believed he was replaced by someone much younger and believed he was terminated in retaliation for his opposition to alleged illegal discriminatory employment practices engaged in by the company.

In the spring of 2015 that same employee wrote CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, an email with allegations and complaints about the ageist and discriminatory culture at the company.

The Facebook Age Discrimination Lawsuit is Gary G. v. Facebook Inc., Case No. BC677017, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, Central District.

Proving Age Discrimination

While an employee may know age discrimination when they see it, proving it in court is another matter and often requires the insight of a legal professional. There are several different ways in which an employee can show a pattern of discriminatory behavior, including:

• Direct evidence, like statements made by HR or supervisors
• Harassment
• Exclusion
• Disciplinary practices based on age
• Favoritism to younger employees
• Promotion and hiring decisions based on age

Gathering evidence and keeping track of all written or verbal statements related to age may help a worker or applicant who believes they have been subjected to illegal age discrimination.

If you or someone you know has been subjected to illegal employment practices, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit with the help of an experienced attorney. The lawyers at Bradley/Grombacher work hard on behalf of affected employees and job applicants.

Fill out the form on this page now for a FREE case evaluation.