Twitter Sued for Age Discrimination

A former Twitter employee has filed a lawsuit against the company for age discrimination and wrongful termination.

Peter H. Taylor, 57, filed the lawsuit last week in San Francisco Superior Court, according to The Snitch, a San Francisco Weekly blog. In the suit, Taylor alleges that, although he did his job “in an exemplary manner,” he was fired, and his position was filled by a much younger employee. 

According to the language of the complaint:

On September 23, 2013, defendants terminated plaintiff’s employment because of his age, as indicated by the following circumstances, among others: Plaintiff was 57 years old when he was terminated. He had performed and was performing his responsibilities in an exemplary manner… He was terminated without warning, without notice, without explanation, and without an opportunity to discuss any concerns defendants might have. Plaintiff’s supervisor made at least one critical remark about plaintiff’s age… Defendants replaced plaintiff with several employees in their 20’s and 30’s.

The SF Weekly notes this is not the first time a major Silicon Valley tech company has been sued for age discrimination; in 2004, 54-year-old Brian Reid filed a suit against Facebook, claiming the company discriminates against employees over 40-years-old.

Taylor is suing Twitter for unspecified damages, along with reimbursement of attorneys’ fees.

A Twitter spokesman told the blog that the case is “without merit, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against it.”

Read the rest of the complaint here.