IBM’s Shortened Time for Age Bias Claim Nixed by Federal Judge

A former International Business Machines Corp. employee convinced a Boston federal judge to strike down a 300-day deadline for claiming age discrimination included in an agreement he signed following his layoff.

The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s decision entered Oct. 3 addressed a question on which federal circuits are divided: whether the Age Discrimination in Employment Act’s 90-day window to bring a case following the end of the administrative-charge process can be shortened by contract, including an agreement to arbitrate.

The separation agreement Michael Rumsey entered at age 52 required him to file a demand for arbitration ...