Court sides with ‘old fuddy-duddy’ in case against Google

SAN JOSE
October 4, 2007 1:50pm

• Says trial court erred in rejecting argument of former engineering head

• Did he fit the ‘Google culture?’

Brian Reid will get his chance to prove Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) fired him because he was too old.

The California Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday that the Santa Clara County Superior Court erred in siding with Google and rejecting Mr. Reid’s claims.

Mr. Reid was sacked in 2004 after working for the Internet search giant for nearly two years as its director of engineering and director of operations.

He was 54 at the time.

The former Stanford University professor argued that there was a thinly veiled pattern of age discrimination at Google and he ultimately was swept out the door in part because of his age and because he was not a “cultural fit” with the company, whose founders at the time had yet to see their 30th birthdays.

“Reid was also subject to derogatory comments from colleagues within the organization, who referred to Reid as an ‘old man,’ an ‘old guy,’ an ‘old fuddy-duddy.’ They told him his knowledge was ancient, and joked that the CD jewel case office placard should be an ‘LP’ instead of a ‘CD,’” the appellate court says in summarizing some of Mr. Reid’s trial court arguments.

“We conclude that Reid produced sufficient evidence that Google’s reasons for terminating him were untrue or pretextual, and that Google acted with discriminatory motive such that a factfinder would conclude Google engaged in age discrimination,” the appeals panel of judges says.

The decision Thursday sends the case back to the Superior Court level to thrash out Mr. Reid’s age discrimination claims.