On February 25, 1998 eight African Americans filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination on the basis of race pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1981 against their current or former employer, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On June 18, 1998, the complaint was amended to add plaintiffs and a Title VII race discrimination claim. Their specific complaint was that the defendant discriminated against African Americans when making promotions. The plaintiffs, represented by private counsel, sought injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and costs.

On March 28, 2000 the district court (Judge William Hibbler) denied defendant's motion to dismiss and certified a class action. On May 30, 2000 the class was narrowed to include African-Americans who were or had been employed at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago after February 26, 1996 below the manager level and who suffered an act of discrimination with respect to promotion. On May 22, 2002, however, the court decertified the class action and the named class members opted to continue the suit on an individual basis. Some of these plaintiffs added age discrimination and sex discrimination complaints and also alleged that they had been discriminated against in regards to pay and training.

On July 2, 2003 the court (Judge Hibbler) denied the defendant's motion to dismiss in regards to some of the individual plaintiffs but on March 3, 2004 the court granted summary judgment to the defendant against five plaintiffs. On February 18, 2005 summary judgment was granted against five more plaintiffs. The testimony of plaintiffs' expert--who had conducted statistical analysis of promotion patterns--was excluded on April 15, 2005 and on March 31, 2006 summary judgment was granted against the three remaining plaintiffs. The case came to a close when the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Judge Easterbrook, Judge Posner, and Judge Wood) affirmed the district court on March 8, 2007.

Michael Perry - 08/21/2010


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