Court Strikes Down California Actor Age Law

Court Strikes Down California Actor Age Law

The Ninth Court of Appeals upheld the ruling of summary judgment in favor of website IMDb at the trial level, declaring the California law that bars websites from publishing the real age of actors and actresses unconstitutional. It is important to understand how this court case may impact your career in the entertainment industry and elsewhere, and an experienced employment law attorney may be able to help. Call or contact one today to learn more.

IMDb Age Law

Known as AB-1687, the California age law was sponsored by SAG-AFTRA and required that subscription-based entertainment casting or hiring databases removed paid subscribers’ date of birth from its websites upon request. This applied to the subscription part of the IMDb website, known as IMDb-Pro and similar database sites. The purpose behind the law was to protect workers from ageism in the entertainment industry. Six weeks after it took effect, an injunction was granted to stop its enforcement, noting that the state government had not shown how the bill was necessary to preventing age discrimination in the entertainment industry.

Age Law Court Case

At trial, the judge officially ruled that the law was unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds and granted summary judgment to IMDb in the case. The opinion noted that the law was not narrowly tailored and was underinclusive to prevent only certain parties from releasing age information of actors and actresses. It also stressed again that the state had failed to show how the law would protect workers in the entertainment industry from age discrimination.

The case was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the appellate court upheld the ruling of the trial court. It agreed with IMDb that the law chilled free speech under the First Amendment and undermined the public’s access to factual information while not actually addressing the issue of age discrimination in the California entertainment industry.

How This Affects Workers

As a worker in the entertainment industry in California, the striking down of this law may have an impact on your career. Hollywood and the entertainment industry generally have a reputation for being ageist against older actors and actresses. With the ruling of the appellate court that this law is unconstitutional, websites like IMDb and other databases can post a person’s age, which may impact the person’s ability to get work in commercials, movies, and television shows. If you or someone that you know has been discriminated against because of your age while working in the entertainment industry, you should speak with a knowledgeable California employment attorney to see whether you have a case.

Call or Contact an Employment Attorney Today

The entertainment industry is a major source of work for many people in California, which is why laws impacting workers’ ability to get hired for jobs are so important to understand. To learn more about whether you may have a case for age discrimination, talk to a lawyer today.