Opinion ID: 1439480
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Age Discrimination Claim Based on Younger Employee's Promotion

Text: Whitman's claim for employment discrimination based upon the promotion of a younger employee is unavailing because he has not set forth a prima facie case of age discrimination. Under the ADEA, [a]ll personnel actions affecting employees or applicants for employment who are at least 40 years of age ... shall be made free from any discrimination based on age. 29 U.S.C. § 633a(a). In order to establish a prima facie case of discrimination, a plaintiff must show that (1) he is a member of a protected class; (2) he was qualified for his position; (3) he experienced an adverse employment action; and (4) similarly situated individuals outside his protected class were treated more favorably, or other circumstances surrounding the adverse employment action give rise to an inference of discrimination. Peterson v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 358 F.3d 599, 603 (9th Cir.2004) (applying the Title VII framework of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973)); see Diaz v. Eagle Produce Ltd. P'ship, 521 F.3d 1201, 1207 (9th Cir.2008) (holding that the McDonnell Douglas framework applies to ADEA claims). Whitman fails the second element of the McDonnell Douglas test because he has not demonstrated that he was either qualified or eligible for the contested position. Whitman did not show that he possessed the requisite knowledge and experience to compete for a computer specialist position similar to that obtained by the younger employee. The FAA denied Whitman a promotion because he lacked skills, did not show that he would be able to handle the job responsibilities, and did not have one year of specialized experience. Accordingly, Whitman's claim of discrimination based on the promotion of a younger employee must fail.