Nicholas J. Spaeth (age 61), the former North Dakota Attorney General and a visiting professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, filed a federal age discrimination lawsuit on Thursday accusing Michigan State University College of Law of denying him a teaching job because of his age. The complaint alleges that Michigan State declined to offer him one of its 24 interview slots at the 2010 AALS meat market despite his superior academic and practice credentials compared to the three individuals the school eventually hired:
- 1968-1972: A.B. (magna cum laude), Stanford
- 1972-1974: 1974 (summa cum laude), Rhodes Scholar, Oxford
- 1974-1977: J.D. Stanford (managing editor, Stanford Law Review)
- 1977-1979: Law Clerk, 8th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court
- 1979-1985: Commercial litigator at two law firms
- 1985-1993: North Dakota Attorney General
- 1993-2000: Corporate partner at two law firms
- 2000-2007: Senior in house positions at GE, Intuit, and H&R Block
- 2007-2009: Executive VP & Chief Legal Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines
- 2010-2011: Visiting Professor of Law, Missouri-Columbia
Blog of the Legal Times, Former N.D. Attorney General Sues Law School for Age Discrimination in Hiring:
Spaeth had previously filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against more than 100 law schools that also did not offer him an interview. Of those complaints, between 30 and 40 had been dismissed and the rest were still pending. This is the first lawsuit Spaeth has filed against one of the schools, but [his lawyer] said they expect to add more defendants to the suit or file related cases.
(Hat Tip: Donald Dobkin.)
Update:
