Filed Date: July 29, 2014
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On July 29, 2014, the United States Department of Justice, on behalf of women seeking entry-level Pennsylvania state trooper positions, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Police. The plaintiff alleged that since 2003, the State Police's practice of requiring applicants to pass a physical-fitness test in order to be considered for an entry-level trooper positions has had a disparate impact on the hiring of women, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They sought injunctive relief to stop the defendant's discriminatory hiring practices.
Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that since 2003 the Pennsylvania State Police have used two similar physical fitness tests as part of the application to become a state trooper that are not necessary for the performance of the job. They claimed that between 2003 and 2012, female applicants passed the test at 80% of the rate that male applicants passed, a statistically significant difference, and thus the tests had a disparate impact on the hiring of women.
On November 10, 2014, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and for lack of jurisdiction. The court (Judge Sylvia Rambo) denied the motion finding that the court had jurisdiction and that the United States had sufficiently stated a claim. 110 F.Supp.3d 544.
Beginning in May 2014, the parties engaged in discovery. On August 19, 2016, both the plaintiff and defendant filed motions for partial summary judgment. The court granted the plaintiff's motion for summary judgement, finding that the United States had satisfied its burden in proving a prima facie case of disparate impact discrimination and that there was no genuine dispute of a material fact for that analysis. 2017 WL 4354917. Finding that there was still a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the defendant's actions were defensible under a business necessity defense, the court denied the defendant's motion.
The parties engaged in several discovery disputes between 2016 and 2018. On April 4, 2018, the parties jointly submitted a motion to stay the litigation for 90 days while the parties engaged in voluntary mediation before a federal magistrate judge. It does not appear that the mediation was successful. As of April 6, 2020, the case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Benjamin St. Pierre (10/23/2014)
Sean Mulloy (3/21/2018)
Hope Brinn (4/6/2020)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4373588/parties/united-states-v-commonwealth-of-pennsylvania/
Abrams, Robin E. (Pennsylvania)
Adams, Andrew Caldwell (Pennsylvania)
Allen, Robert Wood (Pennsylvania)
Alter, Regina Malka (Pennsylvania)
Amaditz, Kenneth Carl (Pennsylvania)
Rambo, Sylvia H. (Pennsylvania)
Betsko, Joseph S. (Pennsylvania)
Blake, Trevor St. George (District of Columbia)
DeAngelo, James P. (Pennsylvania)
DiTomo, Nicole R (Pennsylvania)
Donahue, James A. (Pennsylvania)
Galbreath, Robert Lee (District of Columbia)
Hall, Sharon Z. (Pennsylvania)
Keating, Timothy P. (Pennsylvania)
Kennebrew, Delora L. (District of Columbia)
Kisch, Lori B. (District of Columbia)
Lawson, Elizabeth C. (Pennsylvania)
Marden, Norman W (Pennsylvania)
Phoenix, Candyce Danielle (District of Columbia)
Rhodes, Macel E. (Pennsylvania)
Ruckert, Karen P. (District of Columbia)
Sacks, Sonya Lagene (District of Columbia)
Samuels, Jocelyn (District of Columbia)
Schellenberg, Kali J (District of Columbia)
Schwabauer, Barbara A. (District of Columbia)
Schwartz, Aaron L (Pennsylvania)
Stein, Gerald A (Pennsylvania)
Stewart, George N. (Pennsylvania)
Thomson, Jennifer A. (Pennsylvania)
Wagner, Shawn C. (Pennsylvania)
Wertz, Tracy W. (Pennsylvania)
Abrams, Robin E. (Pennsylvania)
Adams, Andrew Caldwell (Pennsylvania)
Allen, Robert Wood (Pennsylvania)
Alter, Regina Malka (Pennsylvania)
Amaditz, Kenneth Carl (Pennsylvania)
Amanat, Farzin Franklin (Pennsylvania)
America, United States (Pennsylvania)
Anderson, Gary L. (Pennsylvania)
Applegate, Daniel Arthur (Pennsylvania)
Apps, Antonia Marie (Pennsylvania)
Aronoff, Peter Max (Pennsylvania)
Arreola, Anna Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Attorney, United States (Pennsylvania)
Attorney, Noticing 2255 (Pennsylvania)
Bain-Creed, Benjamin (Pennsylvania)
Barcelo, Amy Ann (Pennsylvania)
Barnea, Jean-David (Pennsylvania)
Bass, Steven B. (Pennsylvania)
Belgau, Andrea Elaine (Pennsylvania)
Benavides, Rene Carlo (Pennsylvania)
Berger, Michael N. (Pennsylvania)
Bergman, Jacob Max (Pennsylvania)
Biro, Charles John (Pennsylvania)
Blain, Jennifer Ellen (Pennsylvania)
Blais, Brian Roger (Pennsylvania)
Blaskopf, Lawrence Paul (Pennsylvania)
Blewitt, J. Justin (Pennsylvania)
Blewitt, Justin (Pennsylvania)
Booth, Patricia Hubert (Pennsylvania)
Bracewell, Mary Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Branda, Joyce R. (Pennsylvania)
Bretz, Emily Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Bronson, Jennifer Elyse (Pennsylvania)
Brooks, Samuel D (Pennsylvania)
Brown, Harold E. (Pennsylvania)
Brown, Richard O.I. (Pennsylvania)
Brown, Thomas Mackinnon (Pennsylvania)
Bueno, Edgar Dennis (Pennsylvania)
Butler, Michael (Pennsylvania)
Byars, Michael J. (Pennsylvania)
Callahan, Kristy Karen (Pennsylvania)
Cardona, George Sargent (Pennsylvania)
Carroll, Eric Vincent (Pennsylvania)
Cassella, Stefan Dante (Pennsylvania)
Castillo, Daniel M. (Pennsylvania)
Cerutti, Stephen (Pennsylvania)
Cha-Kim, Stephen Seungkun (Pennsylvania)
Chan, Andrew Ken-Wei (Pennsylvania)
Chernoff, Harry A. (Pennsylvania)
Chung, Cindy K. (Pennsylvania)
Clark, Jennifer (Pennsylvania)
Clarkson, John Thomas (Pennsylvania)
Clayton, Lindsay Laurie (Pennsylvania)
Clopper, John Dalton (Pennsylvania)
Coleman, Leslie (Pennsylvania)
Conrad, Mark R. (Pennsylvania)
Coppolino, Anthony Joseph (Pennsylvania)
Cordaro, Joseph Nicholas (Pennsylvania)
Corwin, Neil Matthew (Pennsylvania)
Cosentino, Michael (Pennsylvania)
Cowart, Kerala Thie (Pennsylvania)
Cowley, Jason Harris (Pennsylvania)
Cruden, John C. (Pennsylvania)
Cruz-Zapata, Diana (Pennsylvania)
Cucinella, Brooke Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Curteman, Thomas William (Pennsylvania)
Davidson, H. Ron (Pennsylvania)
Davis, Steven M. (Pennsylvania)
Deiss, Ila Casy (Pennsylvania)
Delery, Stuart F. (Pennsylvania)
DePippo, Henry John (Pennsylvania)
Diedrichs, Clayton R. (Pennsylvania)
DiPietro, Michael A (Pennsylvania)
Diskant, Edward B. (Pennsylvania)
Division, Appellate (Pennsylvania)
Donnellan, Michael Thomas (Pennsylvania)
Dore, Carl Dore (Pennsylvania)
Dougherty, Burtis Marshall (Pennsylvania)
Duane, J. Mackenzie (Pennsylvania)
Eckert, Thomas L. (Pennsylvania)
Ehrlich, Jeffrey Paul (Pennsylvania)
Elengold, Kate S. (Pennsylvania)
Erem, Haley Christine (Pennsylvania)
Erickson-Pogorzelski, Anthony (Pennsylvania)
Feinzig, Margery Beth (Pennsylvania)
Feldman, Brian Marc (Pennsylvania)
Ferguson, Edmund M. (Pennsylvania)
Fernandez, Eloisa Delgado (Pennsylvania)
Ferrara, Michael (Pennsylvania)
Filor, Daniel Post (Pennsylvania)
Finkel, Ryan B. (Pennsylvania)
Fornos, Carolina A. (Pennsylvania)
Freel, Jennifer Sheffield (Pennsylvania)
Frey, Christopher Douglas (Pennsylvania)
Gehrke, James F. (Pennsylvania)
Ghosh, Catherine Elaine (Pennsylvania)
Gibson, Stuart D. (Pennsylvania)
Gilligan, James F. (Pennsylvania)
Giorno, Anthony Paul (Pennsylvania)
Girvin, Ralph Elwood (Pennsylvania)
Graham, Margaret (Pennsylvania)
Grant, G. Wingate (Pennsylvania)
Green, Richard L. (Pennsylvania)
Grillot, Benjamin (Pennsylvania)
Grubman, Scott Robert (Pennsylvania)
Guerrero, Marco Kelly (Pennsylvania)
Guerrier, Pascale (Pennsylvania)
Haas, Alexander Kenneth (Pennsylvania)
Hambrick, Jonathan Holland (Pennsylvania)
Harker, Laura Margaret (Pennsylvania)
Harrell-James, Veronica Vanessa (Pennsylvania)
Harwood, Christopher Blake (Pennsylvania)
Hayes-Deats, Caleb (Pennsylvania)
Hernandez, Jason Peter (Pennsylvania)
Herrin, Thomas M. (Pennsylvania)
Herskowitz, Michael Vale (Pennsylvania)
Hinrichs, Fred Turner (Pennsylvania)
Holder, Charmaine Michele (Pennsylvania)
Hottle, Douglas Morgan (Pennsylvania)
Hu, Jessica Jean (Pennsylvania)
Hu, Daniel David (Pennsylvania)
Hudson, Jean Barrett (Pennsylvania)
Hyde, Matthew Robb (Pennsylvania)
Ickovic, Allison (Pennsylvania)
Ingoglia, Eugene Edward (Pennsylvania)
Jennings, James W. (Pennsylvania)
Johnson, Cory A (Pennsylvania)
Jonas, Bonnie Brooks (Pennsylvania)
Jones, David Stuart (Pennsylvania)
Kaplan, David Jay (Pennsylvania)
Karam, Francis P. (Pennsylvania)
Kay, Richard Charles (Pennsylvania)
Kennedy, David J (Pennsylvania)
Kenney, Patricia Jean (Pennsylvania)
Keveney, Sean Richard (Pennsylvania)
Khorshid, Anoiel (Pennsylvania)
Kobre, Elisha Jonathan (Pennsylvania)
Koch, Robert A. (Pennsylvania)
Kovacev, Robert John (Pennsylvania)
Krause, Andrew Edward (Pennsylvania)
Krieger, Paul Matthew (Pennsylvania)
Kruger, Mary F. (Pennsylvania)
Lacosta, Anthony W. (Pennsylvania)
Layton, Elisabeth (Pennsylvania)
Leary, Peter Decklin (Pennsylvania)
Lee, Casey Kyung-Se (Pennsylvania)
Lee, Atticus S. (Pennsylvania)
Levin, Sharon Cohen (Pennsylvania)
Lillywhite, Jacob Thomas (Pennsylvania)
Lim, Michael Shueyee (Pennsylvania)
Lindsey, Marilynn Koonce (Pennsylvania)
Lockard, Michael Dennis (Pennsylvania)
LoCurto, John Joseph (Pennsylvania)
Loh, David Yita (Pennsylvania)
London, Ellen Melissa (Pennsylvania)
Lowry, Faith Johnson (Pennsylvania)
MacWilliams, Philip Davis (Pennsylvania)
Magdo, Christine Ingrid (Pennsylvania)
Magnanini, Robert A. (Pennsylvania)
Majeed, Sameena Shina (Pennsylvania)
Martin, Rebecca C. (Pennsylvania)
McCarthy, Andrew C. (Pennsylvania)
McClellan, Jessica L. (Pennsylvania)
McDonald, Elizabeth Erin (Pennsylvania)
McEachin, Onjil Tianna (Pennsylvania)
McIntosh, Robert P. (Pennsylvania)
McKey, Jamie Jean (Pennsylvania)
Meade, James A. (Pennsylvania)
Mene, Gerard J. (Pennsylvania)
Mershimer, Kate (Pennsylvania)
Michael, Philip Roy (Pennsylvania)
Minnis, Tarra DeShields (Pennsylvania)
Miranda, Annika Marie (Pennsylvania)
Monteleoni, Paul Michael (Pennsylvania)
Moreno, Ignacia S. (Pennsylvania)
Morrison, Mark E. (Pennsylvania)
Morte, Tara Marie (Pennsylvania)
Mosteller, Daniel Paul (Pennsylvania)
Mott, Joseph William (Pennsylvania)
Mountcastle, Rick A. (Pennsylvania)
Mundell, Melissa Stebbins (Pennsylvania)
Murphy, John E. (Pennsylvania)
Murray, Juliana Newcomb (Pennsylvania)
Naftalis, Joshua Arditi (Pennsylvania)
Nawaday, Jaimie Leeser (Pennsylvania)
Normand, Sarah Sheive (Pennsylvania)
Notinger, Ramona S (Pennsylvania)
O'Connell, Sean Bryan (Pennsylvania)
Okula, Stanley John (Pennsylvania)
Oliphant, Dara B. (Pennsylvania)
Olivera, Jose Apolinar (Pennsylvania)
Olsen, Edward A. (Pennsylvania)
Onozawa, Tomoko (Pennsylvania)
Orleans, Renee S. (Pennsylvania)
Padilla, Margarita (Pennsylvania)
Padmanabhan, Kartic (Pennsylvania)
Paniszczyn, John F. (Pennsylvania)
Pantoja, Joseph Anthony (Pennsylvania)
Parnham, Thomas Arthur (Pennsylvania)
Parr, Mary Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Patrick, Bradford Collins (Pennsylvania)
Patton, Thomas Earl (Pennsylvania)
Paul, Sarah Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Petri, Steven R. (Pennsylvania)
Phillips, Cristine Irvin (Pennsylvania)
Polansky, Jessica Elyse (Pennsylvania)
Powell, Jeffrey Kenneth (Pennsylvania)
Powell, Roger W (Pennsylvania)
Price, Daniel Nikon (Pennsylvania)
Putignano, Peter J. (Pennsylvania)
Quigley, Brendan (Pennsylvania)
Ramseyer, Steven Randall (Pennsylvania)
Ratliff, Albert T (Pennsylvania)
Rebold, Jonathan (Pennsylvania)
Reddy, Kirti Vaidya (Pennsylvania)
Reding, Ann Marie (Pennsylvania)
Reinhart, Katherine M (Pennsylvania)
Richter, Zachary Carl (Pennsylvania)
Robinson, Richard E (Pennsylvania)
Rodriguez, Joseph Cuauhtemoc (Pennsylvania)
Rosado, David Richard (Pennsylvania)
Rosen, Lawrence Nathan (Pennsylvania)
Rosenbaum, Steven H. (Pennsylvania)
Rosenstein, Rod J (Pennsylvania)
Rost, Cheryl Ann (Pennsylvania)
Rubin-Smith, Elina A. (Pennsylvania)
Russo, Sarah Teresa (Pennsylvania)
Ryals, Stephen M. (Pennsylvania)
Said, Nadia Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Samuel, Linda M. (Pennsylvania)
Santos, Amelia Rebecca (Pennsylvania)
Sassoon, Danielle Renee (Pennsylvania)
Scharf, James A. (Pennsylvania)
Schifman, Reuben (Pennsylvania)
Schild, Clarissa Pinheiro (Pennsylvania)
Schoenberger, Carina Hyatt (Pennsylvania)
Schwartz, Matthew Lane (Pennsylvania)
Schwartz, Adam J. (Pennsylvania)
Shandell, Alexandra L. (Pennsylvania)
Shaw, Deborah Brittain (Pennsylvania)
SHERER, MARK J. (Pennsylvania)
Sidorsky, Robert (Pennsylvania)
Simmons, Alicia Marie (Pennsylvania)
Simpson, D. Brian (Pennsylvania)
Smeltzer, Joshua David (Pennsylvania)
Smith, Micah William (Pennsylvania)
Smith, Curtis Cutler (Pennsylvania)
Snell, Dietrich L. (Pennsylvania)
Sobelman, Robert Benjamin (Pennsylvania)
Sommer, Michael S (Pennsylvania)
Sowlati, Adam Sasan (Pennsylvania)
Spaccarotella, John C. (Pennsylvania)
Sponseller, Richard W. (Pennsylvania)
Stapleton, Robert (Pennsylvania)
Statkus, Shannon Heath (Pennsylvania)
Stier, Cynthia Lewis (Pennsylvania)
Stone, David S. (Pennsylvania)
Strawn, Susan Leslie (Pennsylvania)
Strelka, Andrew Charles (Pennsylvania)
Strickland, Arthur Patrick (Pennsylvania)
Sun, Anthony Jan-Huan (Pennsylvania)
Swauger, Melissa A. (Pennsylvania)
Tarczynska, Dominika (Pennsylvania)
Tarlow, Elinor Lynn (Pennsylvania)
Tayloe, Benjamin Ogle (Pennsylvania)
Taylor, Karen Ledbetter (Pennsylvania)
Teleanu, Natasha Waglow (Pennsylvania)
Thomas, Andrew Mark (Pennsylvania)
Thoms, Laura Anne (Pennsylvania)
Towt, Katharine Farrell (Pennsylvania)
Trager, Mara Emet (Pennsylvania)
Treene, Eric W. (Pennsylvania)
Tulis, Elizabeth (Pennsylvania)
Tumlin-Bhattacharyya, Tracy Rupa (Pennsylvania)
Turner, James L (Pennsylvania)
Underhill, R. Michael (Pennsylvania)
Valadez, Mary Nelda (Pennsylvania)
Vargas, Jeannette Anne (Pennsylvania)
Velamoor, Niketh Varadaraj (Pennsylvania)
Walker, Krystal Dawn (Pennsylvania)
Wallis, Jennifer (Pennsylvania)
Ward, Barbara Ann (Pennsylvania)
Wasserstrom, Leigh Aaron (Pennsylvania)
Weidenbach, Mitchell L. (Pennsylvania)
Weidman, Leon Warren (Pennsylvania)
Weinkle, James Alan (Pennsylvania)
Wetzler, Lauren A. (Pennsylvania)
Whalen, Brock E. (Pennsylvania)
Whitsett, Louis Clifford (Pennsylvania)
Whittaker, Alexandra (Pennsylvania)
Williamson, Christopher James (Pennsylvania)
Wilson, Joel Eric (Pennsylvania)
Wilson, Alexander Joshua (Pennsylvania)
Winn, Sara Bugbee (Pennsylvania)
Wirshba, Kyle Adam (Pennsylvania)
Wright, Gary W. (Pennsylvania)
Yalen, Robert William (Pennsylvania)
Yasuda, Marsha Michiko (Pennsylvania)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4373588/united-states-v-commonwealth-of-pennsylvania/
Last updated March 5, 2024, 3:05 a.m.
State / Territory: Pennsylvania
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 29, 2014
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The United States on behalf of women seeking entry-level Pennsylvania state trooper positions
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Attorney Organizations:
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, State
Pennsylvania State Police, None
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General:
Discrimination-area:
Discrimination-basis:
Affected Sex or Gender: