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Age discrimination in Massachusetts hard to prove?

I was laid off from my job last month and I've been stewing on it ever since. I feel like, based on the way things have been going that they're just using the economy and the lay-offs as a way of getting rid of an 'older' employee. (I'm 61, but very fit). I've had good reviews for the entire 9 years that I've been with the company, and I think I'm a better worker than some younger guys who still have their jobs. They said I could get my job back when things get better, but I know their hoping I'll just go away so they can replace me later with a younger and cheaper worker. But I've been told that proving age discrimination cases is virtually impossible. Is that so? Thanks for any help.

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Age discrimination cases in MA

No, age discrimination cases are no more difficult to prove than other types of discrimination cases.  Your success or failure in such an action will depend more on the specific facts of your situation than on anything else.  However, FYI, a group called Jury Verdict Research compiled some interesting statistics about discrimination cases.  According to their research, In 2008, plaintiffs in age discrimination cases prevailed in 67% of all trials across the country, while plaintiffs in disability discrimination cases prevailed only 53% of the time and plaintiffs in race and sex discrimination prevailed only 52% and  60% of the time, respectively.  In 2009, plaintiffs in sex and age discrimination cases won 57% of trials, while those in disability and race discrimination prevailed 47% and 52% of the time, respectively.  I don't have any numbers for Massachusetts cases, but you can follow this link for more general information about age discrimination cases in MA.  Good luck.

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