A Superior Court judge has ruled that a McDonald's franchise owner can proceed with an age discrimination suit against the company.

Plaintiff Sebastian Lentini is 80 years old and owns six McDonald's franchises in northern New Jersey. He claims the company's efforts to compel franchisees to modernize facilities is unfair to older, long-term restaurant operators.

Lentini's suit accuses McDonald's of violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New Jersey Franchise Practices Act, and a breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The suit also names three McDonald's corporate employees—Ingrid Rodriguez, Mwaffak Kanjee and Matthew Ajayi—as defendants. Superior Court Judge Joseph Isabella, in Hudson County, denied a motion to dismiss by McDonald's in a decision made public Tuesday, but Lentini withdrew the FPA and covenant of good faith claims against the individual defendants.