A federal US judge has ruled that nearly 150 older workers who were laid off X (earlier known as Twitter ) in 2022 can sue the company as a class action lawsuit for age-based discrimination. This lawsuit can expose the Elon Musk-owned social media platform to millions of dollars in potential damages. These employees alleged that they were laid off from X when the tech billionaire acquired the company last year. In a recently released decision, US District Judge Susan Illston said the case presented a similar question over the impact that a 2022 mass layoff at the company had on workers who were 50 and older.
In 2023, Plaintiff John Zeman , who worked in X's communications department when it was called Twitter, sued the company. In his lawsuit, he said that X laid off 60% of employees who were 50 or older and nearly three-quarters of those who were over 60, compared with 54% of employees younger than 50.
What the US judge said in her ruling
In her ruling, Illston said: "Plaintiff has shown beyond mere speculation that Twitter may have discriminated against older employees in the November 4, 2022 (mass layoff), which constitutes a single decision that affected all members of the proposed class.”
This ruling will allow Zeman's lawyers to send notice of the lawsuit to potential class members and will also give them a chance to opt into the case.
Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents Zeman and nearly 2,000 other former Twitter employees who are involved in legal proceedings against the company, expressed her approval of the ruling.
What X said about the ruling
Musk-owned X has yet to share an official statement related to the latest developments. However, earlier, the company has denied allegations of discrimination, stating that the company's decision to eliminate the entire communications department, where Zeman worked, was not based on age, but rather on a broader restructuring.
The tech billionaire decided to drastically reduce Twitter’s workforce in 2022. Since then, the company has faced multiple lawsuits which has stemmed from this decision. These cases include allegations of unfair labour practices, such as insufficient notice for layoffs, gender discrimination, and disability discrimination.
X has denied all of these allegations. While some cases have been dismissed, others, including a class-action lawsuit for age discrimination , are ongoing. Several lawsuits also claim that X owes former employees significant amounts in severance pay.
In 2023, Plaintiff John Zeman , who worked in X's communications department when it was called Twitter, sued the company. In his lawsuit, he said that X laid off 60% of employees who were 50 or older and nearly three-quarters of those who were over 60, compared with 54% of employees younger than 50.
What the US judge said in her ruling
In her ruling, Illston said: "Plaintiff has shown beyond mere speculation that Twitter may have discriminated against older employees in the November 4, 2022 (mass layoff), which constitutes a single decision that affected all members of the proposed class.”
This ruling will allow Zeman's lawyers to send notice of the lawsuit to potential class members and will also give them a chance to opt into the case.
Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents Zeman and nearly 2,000 other former Twitter employees who are involved in legal proceedings against the company, expressed her approval of the ruling.
What X said about the ruling
Musk-owned X has yet to share an official statement related to the latest developments. However, earlier, the company has denied allegations of discrimination, stating that the company's decision to eliminate the entire communications department, where Zeman worked, was not based on age, but rather on a broader restructuring.
The tech billionaire decided to drastically reduce Twitter’s workforce in 2022. Since then, the company has faced multiple lawsuits which has stemmed from this decision. These cases include allegations of unfair labour practices, such as insufficient notice for layoffs, gender discrimination, and disability discrimination.
X has denied all of these allegations. While some cases have been dismissed, others, including a class-action lawsuit for age discrimination , are ongoing. Several lawsuits also claim that X owes former employees significant amounts in severance pay.
