Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

**What Happened** Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory laid off workers as part of downsizing. Older employees claimed the company's layoff decisions unfairly targeted them because of their age, even though the company said age wasn't a factor in their choices. **What the Court Decided** The Supreme Court ruled that when employers are accused of age discrimination during layoffs, they don't need to prove with absolute certainty that age played no role in their decisions. However, the Court also said that older workers can still pursue their discrimination claims when layoffs disproportionately affect people over 40, even if the employer claims they had legitimate business reasons. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling creates a balanced approach for age discrimination cases during layoffs. While it makes it somewhat easier for employers to defend their layoff decisions, it still protects older workers' rights to challenge company practices that primarily harm older employees. Workers over 40 can still file discrimination claims if they can show that a company's layoff process had a disproportionate impact on their age group, forcing the employer to justify their methods were truly based on legitimate business factors rather than age.