Off-the-Cuff Remarks May Create Questions of Fact in Discrimination Cases

In Thompson v. ABVI Goodwill Services, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 18680 (2nd Cir., Sept. 9, 2013, unpublished decision), the Second Circuit upheld the District Court’s dismissal of an age discrimination case. The court held that the plaintiff’s supervisor’s comments indicating the plaintiff should “retire” were insufficient to raise an inference of discrimination as it was but one comment, and separated by 20 months from the plaintiff’s termination. Likewise, comments as to where the plaintiff “should work” were ignored by the court, as they contained no age related reference.