News outlets this morning reported that the plaintiffs (a group of firefighters in New Haven) in the Ricci v. DeStefano reverse discrimination case were awarded damages of about $2 million (plus attorneys fees of $3 million). What the reports don’t really get into, however, is exactly how that has come about. Turns out that the… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: firefighter
Another Day. Another Employee Fired Because of Facebook
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLBHaven’t we heard this before? A Bourne, Massachusetts firefighter was recently fired for — imagine this — his Facebook posts in which he "allegedly railed against [a] police officer over some incident, angrily carried on about being forced to work on the Fourth of July holiday and made a homosexual slur", according to press reports…. Continue Reading
Wait, There’s ANOTHER Firefighter Race Discrimination Case in New Haven? (Yes, and the Conn. Supreme Court Just Ruled On It)
Posted in LitigationSo, while everyone has been paying attention to the Ricci v. DeStefano case, which dealt with a group of white firefighters who claim that they should’ve been promoted, another case involving New Haven firefighters has been making its way through the state court system. (As an aside, are there any firefighters in New Haven who… Continue Reading
District Court Enters Judgment Against New Haven; Orders 14 Firefighters to be Promoted
Posted in LitigationIt was never really a question of if, but when. And yesterday, the United States District Court in Connecticut made final what had long been anticipated in the Ricci v. DeStefano case — the promotions of various firefighters to the positions of Lieutenant and Captain. You can download the order here. In doing so, the… Continue Reading
Black Firefighters Move to Intervene in Ricci v. DeStefano
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationYesterday, a group of black firefighters filed a motion to intervene in the Ricci v. DeStefano case claiming their rights will be "irrevocably impaired " if they aren’t allowed to join in the case. You can download the motion and the accompanying memorandum of law here. The motion was not unexpected though I’m not sure… Continue Reading
Ricci Redux: Black Firefighter Files Suit Against New Haven Alleging Race Discrimination
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationWell, that didn’t take too long. Just a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Ricci v. DeStefano, a black firefighter filed suit yesterday in U.S. District Court alleging that he was unfairly denied promotion to the position of lieutenant because of the city’s scoring of a 2003 promotional exam. You can download… Continue Reading
Connecticut Bar Association Schedules Program on “Discrimination Claims After Ricci v. DeStefano”
Posted in Discrimination & HarassmentCredit the Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section with landing all the major players in the Ricci v. DeStefano case for a panel discussion on August 18, 2009 at Quinnipiac University School of Lawl. Full program details are available at the CBA’s website, including registration. The panel brings together both the attorney representing the firefighters… Continue Reading
Five Things Employers Can Learn from the Ricci v. DeStefano Case
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, LitigationAlthough I tipped my hand yesterday through some posts (here and here) and an interview with the Connecticut Law Tribune, here are some takeaways for employers from the Ricci v. DeStefano case. The Decision Applies to Private Employers. Before Ricci was decided, the case could’ve gone two ways — it could have been based on… Continue Reading
Ricci v. DeStefano – The Best of Today’s Coverage of the Supreme Court Decision
Posted in LitigationFor a case out of little Connecticut, the Ricci v. DeStefano case today sure has drawn big interest. Seems like everyone has an opinion on the matter. There are plenty of wrapups of the case out today. Many of them are, predictably, saying much of the same thing: Interesting case; probably applies to private employers;… Continue Reading
What Employers Need to Know About Ricci v. DeStefano – A Free Webinar
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationA further read-through of the Ricci v. DeStefano case today has reinforced my view that there are going to be some real lessons learned for employers out of this case. The case had the potential of being a very narrow decision which would have minimized the impact to employers. However, because the court addresses head-on… Continue Reading
BREAKING: Ricci v. DeStefano – Supreme Court Reverses Second Circuit And Finds New Haven Violated Title VII in 5-4 Decision
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationIn closing out its 2008-09 term today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4, along ideological lines that the city of New Haven violated Title VII in refusing to promote a group of white firefighters and refusing to apply the results of a test that it claimed would have had a disparate impact on minorities. The… Continue Reading
Still Awaiting A Decision on Ricci v. DeStefano
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationThose waiting for a decision in the hotly-anticipated Ricci v. DeStefano case will have to wait a few more days (likely Monday). The U.S. Supreme Court released the decisions for the day this morning and Ricci was not among them. It is now expected to be released early next week. It is one of just… Continue Reading
What Will Happen After Ricci v. DeStefano is Decided?
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, LitigationThe Supreme Court is expected to rule later this month on the controversial case of Ricci v. DeStefano, the case out of New Haven, Connecticut involving a group of white firefighters who have alleged discrimination by the city. But what will happen after the court rules on the case? That’s the subject of an interesting post… Continue Reading
Ricci v. DeStefano – How a Little Case Out of New Haven Has Become A “Big Deal”; And Should It Be One?
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationOver the last 24 hours, much virtual ink has been spilled on a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ricci v. DeStefano, because Judge Sonia Sotomayor — one of the judges handling the case at the Court of Appeals — has been nominated to the Court. (I’ve covered the case in various posts here.) … Continue Reading
Awaiting a Decision in Ricci v. DeStefano – More Followup
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, LitigationIn the next month or so, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue its decision (or multiple decisions) in the Ricci v. DeStefano matter (for background, see my prior posts here). In the meantime, other bloggers and writers have been adding their views to fill out the spectrum. On the Talking Points Memo site,… Continue Reading
Ricci v. DeStefano – Wrapup of Coverage of Oral Argument
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationThere’s lots of coverage this morning on the Ricci v. DeStefano (otherwise known as the New Haven firefighter reverse discrimination claim) oral argument at the Supreme Court yesterday — among the most significant discrimination cases arising in Connecticut in years. Here’s a wrap-up: Ellen Simon, of the Employee Rights Post, rightly points out the dilemma… Continue Reading
Ricci v. DeStefano – Oral Argument Transcript Available Here
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationIf only all trial and deposition transcripts happened this quickly…. The Supreme Court held oral argument in the Ricci v. DeStefano case earlier today. The transcript is now available here. The Workplace Prof has the snap judgment which seems pretty on point from my initial scans: I’ve skimmed it enough to see that there’s a… Continue Reading
About Daniel Schwartz
Trusted advisor. Experienced employment law attorney. Bar leader. Award-winning author. Noted Speaker. "Legal Rebel". All can be said to be apt descriptions of Daniel Schwartz, a member of Pullman & Comley. More +
Follow Me on Twitter
Join the Discussion on Facebook
Subscribe to this blog via RSS
View My Linkedin Profile