An employer may be held liable for discrimination by third parties, including independent contractors authorized by the employer to make hiring decisions on its behalf, a federal appeals court held last week.

Clarifying its case law, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court judge who had granted summary judgment to an employer under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in Halpert v. Manhattan Apartments Inc., 07-4074-cv.

Judges Guido Calabresi, Barrington D. Parker Jr. and Reena Raggi decided the appeal in an unsigned opinion.