In a Thursday ruling, the justices of the Supreme Court of California unanimously gave the go ahead in an age discrimination suit filed against Google; thereby upholding an earlier verdict of a San Jose appeals court.

The justices said that Google’s ex-engineering director Brian Reid, who was fired from his job in 2004, could take his case to trial, to make a discrimination claim, on the basis of the evidence, which included age-related “stray comments” made by fellow-employees and a supervisor. 

As per the court documents, it was in 2002 that the then-52-year-old Reid left his job as a professor at the California campus of the Carnegie Mellon University, to join Google. Reid, who claims that age discrimination was one reason Google fired him, submitted remarks from a written performance assessment which clearly indicates that Google was satisfied with Reid’s work in his first year at the company.

Via the lawsuit, Reid sought an undisclosed sum in damages, along with a request to restore 119,000 options to purchase Google stock - at a $0.30 strike price - which was taken from him when he was fired.

Meanwhile, denied any wrongdoing, Google aid in a statement: “The Supreme Court today simply upheld the lower court's decision that the case should not be dismissed without a trial. We look forward to demonstrating in court the legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons why Mr. Reid was let go.”