‘Early Career’ Recruiting Strategies Risk Age Bias Liability

Companies face growing risks for age-bias lawsuits in their pursuit of younger hires, in no small part due to language they use in recruitment that plaintiffs can construe as discriminatory even when it’s “coded.”

The EEOC brought the latest major lawsuit along these lines last week, accusing Lilly USA of violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act after the biopharma giant’s executives allegedly pledged to add more “early career” professionals to the company to the detriment of older workers.

Age bias appears to be a ripe area for claims from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and private plaintiffs, with US ...