Job-Seeking Lawyer Loses Age Discrimination Case Based on Experience Cap
Dale Kleber was 58 years old when he applied for a senior staff attorney position with CareFusion Corporation. On paper, his 25 years of legal experience, including serving as general counsel for a large corporation, showed he was qualified for the job.
But the position sought someone with three to seven years of legal experience. Kleber didn’t receive an invitation for an interview, but a 29-year-old lawyer was hired instead. Kleber sued under the ADEA, arguing that the seven-year experience cap on the position discriminates against older workers by automatically disqualifying them for the job.
Courthouse News Service reports that Kleber’s age discrimination suit failed when the en banc Seventh Circuit ruled Wednesday that the protections of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act apply only to current employees, not to job applicants.
Read the Courthouse News article.
