Lawsuit Asserts Amazon Ads Violate Age Discrimination Laws

A new lawsuit asserts that Amazon, Facebook and T-Mobile are using discriminatory practices by targeting potential new hires through the use of Facebook ads. The age discrimination lawsuit alleges that such practices violate “various state laws prohibiting age discrimination in employment,” according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco.

The lawsuit follow a ProPublica/New York Times report detailed how companies are able to exclude older workers in employment ads on Facebook and other platforms such as LinkedIn and Google.

Facebook ads allow the advertiser to specifically target a certain demographic. That demographic would see the ad, the lawsuit asserts whereas an older candidate would not. Thus, older workers would be weeded out of the job application process. Many times this discrimination is “hidden” because the person who didn’t see the advertisement has no idea of its existence. A representative noted, “Age discrimination is something hidden so that people who apply for jobs never find out why they were never considered or interviewed,”

Federal age discrimination legislation (the Age Discrimination in Employment Act – “ADEA”) prohibits discrimination against individuals over the age of 40. Like the other discrimination laws, if you are over 40, your employer may not discriminate against you on the basis of your age, and you are also protected from harassment on the basis of your age. This includes the failure to hire. If you believe that you have been denied opportunities based on your age, or have been let go to make room for younger employees- you may have a claim for age discrimination.

For more information or if you believe you have suffered any form of age discrimination, please contact our Atlanta employment discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.