LOS ANGELES (CN) - Television writers claiming age discrimination are allowed to collect demographic data from members of the Writers Guild of America, the California Court of Appeals ruled.
The writers are in the discovery phase of a legal war that began in 2000, claiming that the television industry is systematically discriminating against its older writers.
Justice Cooper ruled that the trial court should have overruled the objections of 7,700 of the guild's 14,000 members.
"The trial court abused its discretion when it concluded the writers' need for data to prove their case was outweighed by the objectors' privacy concerns," Cooper wrote.
Cooper also asserted that the trial court should have come up with an alternative solution that would address the writers' needs.
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