Employers Have easier time with Age Discrimination cases

According to the SHRM website, the new Supreme Court ruling in the area of age discrimination changes the playing field. The U.S. Supreme Court June 18, 2009, made it more difficult for workers to prove in court their claims that they were the targets of workplace discrimination because of their age. In a 5-4 decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court ruled that, in a case alleging disparate treatment in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), it is up to the worker to prove that age was the decisive factor in the action taken by the employer, even if there is evidence that age played some role in the employer’s decision.