One remark by CEO can prove age discrimination

"Stray remarks" -- offhand, casual or joking comments about age, race, sex or other protected classification -- consistently have been held by the courts not to be evidence of discrimination. But in this case, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that one remark by the CEO could show proof of age bias. The CEO had a meeting with the vice president in which he said the VP was not performing satisfactorily and "If you are getting too old for the job, maybe you should hire one or two young bankers." A few months later, the VP was fired.

Keller v. Orix Credit Alliance,
73 FEP 72 (3rd Cir 1997)

Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.