Employers have been warned to be wary of serial litigants who target job listings purely to lodge serial age discrimination claims against multiple firms.

These litigants are seeking out job adverts that include terms such as “school leaver” or “recent graduate” and then using the Government’s tribunal service website to lodge their claims. They often send threatening letters to the firms they target in an attempt to persuade them to settle out of court for thousands of pounds.

Many lawyers have blamed the new website for the increase in the number of claims. The website, run by the Ministry of Justice, allows users to lodge claims free of charge and with minimal evidence, which makes it very appealing to vexatious litigants.

Audrey Williams, a partner and head of discrimination law with international law company Eversheads, commented: “Under current UK law a claimant will have to show that they have actually been a victim of discrimination. Simply seeing an advert is not enough.”

The warning comes after the Sunday Times named a 54-year-old man who had used the method to make more than 60 claims against various employers. One of his strategies was to lodge claims at tribunals outside of the local area of the company so that they would be more likely to settle than take the matter to court.

Technorati Tags: Age Discrimination, Serial Litigants, Vexatious Claims