On October 26, 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice ("D.O.J.") filed a lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against the Arkansas Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Arkansas. The D.O.J. sought injunctive relief, specifically requesting that the defendant be enjoined from continuing its discriminatory hiring practices, that the defendant be forced to provide remedial damages, and that the court order defendant to take appropriate nondiscriminatory measures to overcome the effects of the discrimination.

The D.O.J. specifically alleged that the defendant discriminated against two employees who were Seventh-Day Adventists on the basis of religion. The D.O.J. claimed that the defendant discriminated by failing or refusing to hire one employee on the basis of her religion and that the defendant discriminated against the second employee by terminating her on the basis of her religion.

On November 1, 2000, the district court (Judge George Howard) accepted a settlement agreement agreed to by both parties. The agreement stated that the defendant did not accept the allegations of the D.O.J., however it agreed to take measures to ensure that no discriminatory practices were continued in the Department of Corrections. The defendant agreed to employ practices that would reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs. The defendant specifically agreed to inform employees who are Seventh Day Adventists that they have the opportunity to swap their shift with another worker in order to observe the Sabbath. In addition, the defendant agreed to pay the employee it terminated $9000 in damages.

This case is closed and we have no further information at this time.

Janani Iyengar - 11/21/2007


compress summary