Sperling v. Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc.
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
924 F. Supp. 1396 (1996)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. (Roche) (defendant) terminated or demoted over 1,000 employees as part of a reduction-in-force initiative. Richard Sperling (plaintiff) filed a class-action suit against Roche based on the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Sperling identified several factors that Roche used in making its termination and demotion decisions, including high salary, eligibility for and amount of retirement benefits, relative productivity, relative skillfulness, overqualification, and lack of fit with the company. Sperling claimed that each of these factors amounted to a valid cause of action under the ADEA. Roche filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under the ADEA.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ackerman, J.)
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