DECISION ON KEY MOTION IN LLNL AGE DISCRIMINATION SUIT DELAYED

A California judge has postponed a decision on a key decision in an age discrimination lawsuit involving 130 laid off Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees. Gary Gwilliam, a lawyer for the employees, said a decision is expected Wednesday by Alameda County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman whether or not the plaintiffs can use the age discrimination argument during the trial. The former workers have argued that they were unfairly chosen during a round of layoffs in 2008 that led to the departure of 440 lab employees, and the age discrimination argument is central to their case. If that claim is disallowed by the judge, the workers are still expected to pursue a breach of contract claim at trial, which is expected to begin late this week or next week.