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SEPTA Conviction Discrimination Lawsuit - News & Announcements

SEPTA Conviction Discrimination Lawsuit

News & Announcements

3rd Circ. Breathes New Life Into Job Applicants’ SEPTA Suit

Sep 11, 2018 / News Item
Workers alleging they were improperly denied jobs due to the results of pre-employment background checks have standing to sue the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act for not providing them a copy of the reports before turning them down for jobs, the Third Circuit ruled Monday. In a precedential ruling, a three-judge panel upheld part of U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker’s April 2017 decision tossing an allegation that SEPTA failed to properly inform a trio of would-be SEPTA employees of their FCRA rights when they weren’t hired because of...
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Third Circuit Rules in Plaintiffs' Favor, According to Outten & Golden LLP and Co-Counsel

Sep 11, 2018 / Press Release
The Third Circuit ruled yesterday that job applicants have standing to sue under the Fair Credit Reporting Act in a criminal history lawsuit brought by plaintiffs against their prospective employer, SEPTA, says Outten & Golden LLPand a coalition of legal advocates. Filed in federal court in Philadelphia in 2016, the class action accuses SEPTA, the nation's sixth-largest public transportation system, of routinely rejecting job applicants based on information contained in reports obtained from background check companies. In finding that Plaintiffs have standing to sue, the Third Circuit...
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3rd Circ. Urged To Revive SEPTA Background Check Suit

Dec 12, 2017 / Media Coverage
The Third Circuit was urged during oral arguments on Tuesday to revive class claims accusing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority of failing to provide job applicants with a chance to respond to consumer reports detailing criminal histories that the agency said disqualified them from employment. Deeptak Guta, an attorney with Gupta Wessler PLLC representing the three lead plaintiffs in the case, argued that the trial court had created an insurmountable hurdle by requiring the would-be SEPTA workers to show that the reports, which they never received copies of, contained...
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Pa. Transit Agency's Ex-Drug Convict Hiring Ban Challenged

May 5, 2017 / Media Coverage
A Philadelphia-area public transit agency is facing a putative class action in state court over an employment policy that challengers say illegally bars individuals with drug convictions from working as drivers or holding certain maintenance positions. A trio of would-be Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority workers say the policy violates provisions of the state’s Criminal History Record Information Act allowing employers to consider a candidate’s convictions only so far as they relate to his or her suitability for the position being sought. “Rather than making assessments of...
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Plaintiffs Attorney Says SEPTA Hiring Decision Affects Civil and Privacy Rights, Goes Against State Edicts

Aug 29, 2016 / News Item
The use of background checks in making hiring decisions is facing increased scrutiny, according to the lead plaintiffs’ attorney in Long v. the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The plaintiffs in the Long case alleged that they were conditionally offered positions as SEPTA bus operators, subject to completion of a background check. As part of that process, the plaintiffs disclosed previous felony convictions for drug offenses. As a result, the plaintiffs claim, SEPTA withdrew the job offers. In the class action lawsuit filed in April in the U.S. District Court for...
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SEPTA Background Checks Violate Federal and State Laws, According to Outten & Golden LLP and Co-Counsel

Apr 27, 2016 / Press Release
PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK — A new federal lawsuit alleges Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) willfully violates federal and state laws when conducting criminal background checks of prospective employees, says Outten & Golden LLP and a coalition of legal advocates. Filed in federal court in Philadelphia, the class action accuses SEPTA, the nation’s sixth-largest public transportation system, of routinely rejecting job applicants based on information contained in reports obtained from background check companies. The lawsuit alleges SEPTA fails to comply with the...
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Rejected bus driver sues SEPTA over background checks

Apr 27, 2016 / Media Coverage
A school bus driver turned away from a job as a SEPTA bus operator because of drug conviction dating back nearly 20 years filed a federal lawsuit against the transit agency Wednesday. The suit said that SEPTA routinely misuses criminal history information turned up in background checks to eliminate potential employees, even when the offenses happened long ago and are irrelevant to the job. SEPTA said it was looking into the lawsuit and had no immediate comment. The suit said SEPTA's background check and criminal histories violate federal employment laws. The suit comes as state, federal and...
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