Yes, Google Does Have & Use Author Rank; Specifically Within In-Depth Articles

Google’s Matt Cutts confirmed on stage at Search Marketing Expo today that Google does have a form of “Author Rank” in use today at Google. It is specifically used within the in-depth articles system to determine which articles to show in the In-Depth articles section.

Source:http://searchengineland.com/yes-google-specifically-within-depth-articles-186627