News and Announcements

Target agrees to settle a lawsuit alleging discrimination against blacks and Latinos

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

Target has agreed to a $3.7 million settlement of a lawsuit that alleged the company’s criminal background check process was biased against thousands of Latinos and African Americans seeking jobs with the retailer. If the settlement receives court approval, Target will prioritize hiring black and Latino applicants previously denied jobs because they failed to clear a background check the complaint claims discounted them for offenses that were often not relevant to the positions they were applying for. or were committed years before. “Target’s background check policy was out of step with best...

Target Settles Background Check Suit For Nearly $3.75M

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

Target will give hiring preference to some of the more than 41,000 black and Latino applicants it previously denied jobs to because of their criminal histories and will pay nearly $3.75 million as part of a deal ending a proposed class suit challenging its background check policy, according to a document filed Thursday in New York federal court. Named plaintiffs Carnella Times and Erving Smith moved the Southern District of New York on Thursday to approve the deal, which also requires Target to hire consultants to overhaul its background check system and give $600,000 to nonprofits that help...

Target to Pay $3.7M to Settle Criminal History Hiring Bias Suit

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

Target Corp. will pay $3.74 million and give priority hiring opportunities to some black and Latino job applicants to resolve charges that its criminal background check policy illegally excluded thousands of minorities from hourly and entry-level jobs. The April 5 filing of the preliminary settlement comes the same day the company was sued in Manhattan federal court by the Fortune Society and two workers on behalf of a proposed nationwide class. The lawsuit alleges that Target’s practice of requiring disclosure of prior convictions and other criminal history on its job applications had a...

Job Applicants Enter Settlement with Target Corporation over Discriminatory Criminal Background Screening Policy

Apr 5, 2018 / Press Release

The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. ( LDF ) and the law firm of Outten & Golden LLP have reached a settlement with Target Corporation to resolve allegations that its overly broad and outdated criminal background check policy discriminated against African-American and Latino applicants. As part of the settlement, filed on behalf of a class of job applicants, Target Corporation will institute a hiring process for class members to obtain jobs at any of Target's approximately 1,800 U.S. based retail stores. Class members who would not benefit from a Target job (because, for...

Target Agrees to Review Screening of Job Applicants Amid Claims of Bias

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

Target agreed on Thursday to revise guidelines for how it screens people seeking jobs at its stores, a step meant to quell complaints that the retailer discriminates against black and Hispanic applicants with criminal records that can include offenses too minor or old to affect their performance as employees. The move comes in a labor market so tight that companies are hiring applicants they would not have considered before, including people who have criminal records or, in some cases, are still incarcerated. Those pressing the complaints against Target said the agreement announced on...

Target pays $3.7 million to settle lawsuit over racial disparity in use of criminal background checks

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

The complaint, which includes grievances from more than a decade ago, allows for job applicants to reapply for Target positions or seek a financial award. Target Corp. has agreed to pay $3.7 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over allegations that its use of criminal background checks as part of the hiring process has disproportionately hurt African-American and Latino applicants. The legal team representing the plaintiffs in the case includes the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund [and Outten & Golden LLP ]. The complaint and settlement were filed Thursday morning in U.S...

Target settles claims it screened blacks, Hispanics out of jobs

Apr 5, 2018 / Media Coverage

Target Corp has agreed to pay $3.74 million and upgrade its hiring process to settle a lawsuit claiming its use of criminal background checks kept thousands of black and Hispanic job applicants from getting employment. The preliminary settlement filed on Thursday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan requires a judge’s approval. It resolves claims that the Minneapolis-based retailer, which has performed background checks for employment in U.S. stores since 2001, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, gender and...

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