Age Discrimination Examination

Tens of thousands of age-discrimination suits are filed every year in the United States and complaints tend to rise in a faltering economy. No surprise then that Ohio has had its fair share of age discrimination cases given all the job losses here in recent years. One of the largest settlements in the state involved an Aurora life insurance executive. He was awarded $16 million in damages but the case is on appeal. One recent study by researchers at Ohio State University showed that there is a spike in lawsuits involving workers in their 60s. That's due in part, the researchers found, to employer efforts to reduce pension and health-insurance costs by targeting older workers during layoffs. Ellen Simon, a plaintiffs attorney in Cleveland, has been in the forefront of some of the biggest cases in the state. She says discrimination often also occurs at a slightly younger age.