• The Wall Street Journal, Friday, August 6, 2010 2:22 PM

Throughout Silicon Valley, top tech companies may soon have to make their "cultures" more conducive to older folks. The California Supreme Court just ruled that an age-discrimination lawsuit filed against Google back in 2004 should proceed to trial. "The ruling Thursday makes it harder for companies in California to defeat discrimination claims at an early stage, and employees are now more likely to get their claims in front of a jury," attorneys specializing in employment law tells The Wall Street Journal.

In 2004, a senior executive at Google between 2002 and 2004, alleged when he was 54-years-old that other executives at the company criticized his age, and told him he wasn't a "cultural fit" at the company at the time of his termination. The executive "was not laid off based on his age," a Google spokesman insists. Daniel Westman, a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP who defends companies against employment claims, tells the The Journal the ruling is a "very significant victory for employees."

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