Employment attorneys say a recent federal court ruling in which Judge Kari Dooley denied a motion for summary judgment for defendant University of Hartford in an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit shows just how hard it is to survive a motion to dismiss for summary judgment in employment cases.

In the matter of Tatum v. University of Hartford, both sides accused the other of wrongdoing. Calvin Tatum, who was 75 when he was fired in July 2018, alleged age discrimination and retaliation. The university countered that Tatum, a custodial shift supervisor, didn’t properly discipline staff, was combative and argumentative.