Ida MORELLI, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CEDEL, Defendant-Appellee

Morelli v. CEDEL: Age Discrimination Protection Extended to Foreign Company Employees

Ida Morelli, an American worker, sued her employer CEDEL (a foreign corporation) for age discrimination after losing her job. The company argued that U.S. age discrimination laws didn't apply to them because they were a foreign business, and they tried to get the case thrown out of court.

The lower court initially sided with CEDEL and dismissed Morelli's case. However, the appeals court disagreed and reversed this decision. The appeals court ruled that American employees working for foreign companies in the United States are still protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The court also determined that when counting how many employees a company has (to see if discrimination laws apply), foreign workers should be included in that count.

This decision is important for workers because it confirms that U.S. anti-discrimination laws protect American employees even when they work for foreign-owned companies operating in the United States. Workers don't lose their legal protections just because their employer is based in another country. The case was sent back to the lower court to continue with Morelli's discrimination claim.