News and Announcements

Outten & Golden LLP: Barclays Accused of Illegal Screening of Job Applicants

Aug 7, 2017 / Press Release

Unlawful screening of job applicants seeking employment at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn violates federal and state law, according to a federal-court class action lawsuit filed by Outten & Golden LLP and the nonprofit organization Youth Represent . Filed in federal court in the Eastern District of New York, the lawsuit alleges that Barclays used “flawed and discriminatory criminal history screening policies and practices” to deny employment opportunities to otherwise qualified job applicants. The defendants are Barclays Events Center, LLC, doing business as Barclays Center, Levy...

Outten & Golden LLP: Discrimination Charge Filed by the Fortune Society Against Macy's in Background Check Dispute

May 17, 2017 / Press Release /

Macy's Criminal History Discrimination

Outten & Golden LLP filed an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) charge on May 15, 2017 on behalf of The Fortune Society against Macy's, Inc., alleging that the retailer's criminal background check policies and practices used to screen job applicants results in discrimination in violation of federal and local laws. Macy's, Inc. owns and operates more than 800 stores throughout the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy's, Bloomingdales, Bloomingdale's Outlet, Macy's Backstage, and Bluemercury (collectively "Macy's"). It maintains executive offices in...

Pa. Transit Agency's Ex-Drug Convict Hiring Ban Challenged

May 5, 2017 / Media Coverage /

SEPTA Conviction Discrimination Lawsuit

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...

Madison Square Garden rejected job applicants for having criminal records, lawsuit claims

Apr 27, 2017 / Media Coverage /

Madison Square Garden Conviction Discrimination

The Knicks aren’t the only lousy thing at Madison Square Garden — the Garden’s hiring practices are awful as well, according to a new class action lawsuit. In fact, the place that calls itself “The World’s Most Famous Arena” habitually discriminates against job applicants with criminal records such as misdemeanors, the suit says. Clint Millien says in a lawsuit to be filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday that MSG rescinded its offer for a food prep job after he failed a background check due to two misdemeanor convictions when he was 19 years old. “Why is it still biting me in the ass?”...

Outten & Golden LLP: Madison Square Garden Allegedly Violated Background Check Laws

Apr 26, 2017 / Press Release /

Madison Square Garden Conviction Discrimination

PRNewswire — Outten & Golden LLP Madison Square Garden (“MSG”), the world-famous entertainment venue, allegedly violated federal and state law with its background check practices in making hiring decisions, according to a complaint filed in New York State Court today by the Outten & Golden LLP law firm and Youth Represent . In a complaint filed in New York state court, MSG is accused of illegally running background checks on applicants and using them to deny job opportunities without providing sufficient and timely notification of MSG’s intent to use information contained in the...

Outten & Golden LLP: Discrimination Charge Filed Against DHL in Background Check Dispute

Mar 30, 2017 / Press Release /

DHL Applicant’s Conviction Discrimination Lawsuit

Charge: Criminal History Policy Has Disparate Impact on African-Americans A former temporary employee at a DHL warehouse near Chicago alleges that the company ignores the criminal histories of less expensive temporary workers but runs criminal history checks on prospective permanent hires in violation of federal and state law, his lawyers at Outten & Golden LLP said today. Walter Pickett filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) office in Chicago today, his lawyers said. He is represented by attorneys Ossai Miazad and Christopher McNerney of Outten &...

Outten & Golden LLP: Lyft, Inc. Accused of Violating Philadelphia "Ban the Box" Law

Mar 15, 2017 / Press Release

Lyft Inc., the national transportation network company, allegedly violated the City of Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards Ordinance with its background check practices, the Outten & Golden LLP and Willig, Williams & Davidson law firms said today. In a complaint filed with the City of Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, Lyft is accused of rejecting a job application of Philadelphia resident Michael White in early 2016 based on information contained in background checks obtained from private "consumer reporting agencies" or CRA. Mr. White applied for a...

Census Bureau’s $15M Hiring Bias Settlement OK’d

Sep 22, 2016 / Media Coverage /

Census Worker Class Action Lawsuit

The U.S. Census Bureau will pay $15 million to a class of “hundreds of thousands” of black and Latino job seekers who claim they were shut out of jobs for the 2010 census because of a flawed criminal history screening process, under a settlement given final approval by a federal judge in New York ( Gonzalez v. Pritzker , S.D.N.Y., No. 1:10-cv-03105, settlement approved 9/20/16 ). The agreement brings renewed attention to an issue targeted by federal civil rights enforcement authorities and the Obama administration—the difficulty job applicants with criminal records can have finding work. The...

Outten & Golden LLP: Court Approves Landmark Settlement in Census Bureau Discrimination Class Action

Sep 21, 2016 / Press Release /

Census Worker Class Action Lawsuit

A New York federal court approved the settlement of a landmark class action in which African American and Latino job applicants alleged illegal background check policies and practices at the U.S. Census Bureau denied them access to more than a million temporary jobs for the 2010 decennial census, Outten & Golden LLP and co-counsel said today. Adam Klein , the lead attorney for the plaintiffs and the head of the class action practice group at Outten & Golden LLP, said, “This historic settlement requires the Census Bureau to replace its arbitrary and racially discriminatory use of...

Plaintiffs Attorney Says SEPTA Hiring Decision Affects Civil and Privacy Rights, Goes Against State Edicts

Aug 29, 2016 / News Item /

SEPTA Conviction Discrimination Lawsuit

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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