In-House Lawyer Files Age Bias Suit
A 52-year-old former staff lawyer for Philip Morris has filed a suit that contends he was fired for being too old and for complaining about others who were dismissed for the same reason.
D’Arcy Quinn maintained he had stellar performance reviews until he turned 50, when he was told he no longer fit the “right profile” and should move on, Corporate Counsel reports. His suit also claims that management retaliated against him when he spoke out against the firing of two colleagues in their late 50s who were to be replaced by workers in their 30s.
The age bias suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, appears to be one of the first filed by an in-house counsel—but it may not be the last, according to Corporate Counsel. It sees a possibility for litigation in the rising median age for in-house lawyers, which jumped from 42.9 in 2001 to 45.6 in 2006.
At the time he was fired, Quinn was working as a manager in the brand integrity section. The company has attributed the firing to layoffs, according to Quinn’s lawyer.
