RULING ON KEY MOTION IN LIVERMORE AGE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT EXPECTED FRIDAY

A California judge is set to rule Friday on a key age discrimination issue in a lawsuit involving 130 laid off Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees. Lawyers for the former workers have alleged that the workers were unfairly targeted because of their ages during a round of layoffs in 2008 that led to the departure of 440 lab employees, and Alameda County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman is expected to rule Friday whether or not the plaintiffs can use the age discrimination argument during the trial. Livermore has discounted the age discrimination claim and has sought to have the argument thrown out, and lawyers for both sides have battled over the last several months on the issue, with each side providing their own experts. If the claim is thrown out, the trial would be based on a breach of contract claim by the former workers, and as of now, it is expected to begin with jury selection next week. “It’s an important judgment for our case,” said Gary Gwilliam, an Oakland-based lawyer for the workers. Gwilliam said that there appears to be no sign of a settlement and that he expects the lawsuit to go to trial.