Case: Horne v. Reading

2:05-cv-06334 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Filed Date: Dec. 8, 2005

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

Notes from the NAACP website: On February 27, 2006, the National NAACP and the Reading Branch NAACP joined an employment lawsuit, originally filed on December 8, 2005, against the City of Reading, Pennsylvania. The suit charged the Reading Fire Department with implementing discriminatory recruitment and hiring practices against African Americans and other minorities. Although the City of Reading was 11% Black and 37% Latinx, the Fire Department was virtually all-white. Of the Fire Department's …

Notes from the NAACP website:

On February 27, 2006, the National NAACP and the Reading Branch NAACP joined an employment lawsuit, originally filed on December 8, 2005, against the City of Reading, Pennsylvania. The suit charged the Reading Fire Department with implementing discriminatory recruitment and hiring practices against African Americans and other minorities. Although the City of Reading was 11% Black and 37% Latinx, the Fire Department was virtually all-white. Of the Fire Department's 147 full-time, uniformed employees, there were no Black employees and fewer than five Latinx employees.

The complaint alleged that the City's discriminatory employment practices include: refusing to recruit and hire Black people and other minorities for firefighter positions on the same basis as whites; basing such recruitment on a primarily "word of mouth" system that results in the employment of friends and relatives of current City firefighters, the vast majority of whom are white; failing or refusing to adopt nondiscriminatory recruitment, application, testing, and selection techniques for the position of firefighter; and failing or refusing to take appropriate action to correct the effects of its past discriminatory policies and practices.

Plaintiffs in the case sought relief in the form of: a permanent injunction barring the City from discriminating against Black and other minority firefighter candidates on the basis of race and/or national origin; a permanent injunction directing the City to adopt and implement a vigorous recruitment program designed to attract qualified Black and other minority applicants for employment in numbers which at least reflect the proportion of minority applicants and candidates in and around the City; lost income and benefits; reasonable attorneys' fees and expert fees.

After some settlement conferences and status reports, on March 27, 2007, the parties entered into a settlement which was approved by the court as a consent decree. Under the terms of the consent decree, the defendants agreed to encourage minority applicants into the firefighter program. The docket has no entries after the consent decree, and we have no further information in this case.

Summary Authors

Kristen Sagar (4/9/2009)

People


Judge(s)
Attorney for Plaintiff

Asaka, Anson (Maryland)

Feinberg, Jonathan H. (Pennsylvania)

Hayes, Dennis Courtland (Maryland)

Marcus, Terri N. (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Ludwig, Steven K. (Pennsylvania)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

2:05-cv-06334

Docket [PACER]

Horne v. City of Reading

March 27, 2007

March 27, 2007

Docket
1

2:05-cv-06334

Complaint

Horne v. City of Reading

Dec. 8, 2005

Dec. 8, 2005

Complaint
4

2:05-cv-06334

Amended Complaint

Feb. 24, 2006

Feb. 24, 2006

Complaint

2006 WL 2006

18

2:05-cv-06334

Consent Decree

NAACP v. City of Reading

March 27, 2007

March 27, 2007

Settlement Agreement

Docket

Last updated Jan. 27, 2024, 3:10 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT against CITY OF READING ( Filing fee $ 250 receipt number 923920.), filed by CORTNEY HORNE.(tj, ) (Entered: 12/08/2005)

Dec. 8, 2005

Dec. 8, 2005

Summons Issued; 1 mailed to counsel 12/8/05 as to CITY OF READING. (tj, ) (Entered: 12/08/2005)

Dec. 8, 2005

Dec. 8, 2005

2

WAIVER OF SERVICE Returned Executed by CORTNEY HORNE. CITY OF READING waiver sent on 12/28/2005, answer due 2/27/2006. (FEINBERG, JONATHAN) (Entered: 01/03/2006)

Jan. 3, 2006

Jan. 3, 2006

3

NOTICE of Appearance by STEVEN K. LUDWIG on behalf of CITY OF READING with Certificate of Service (LUDWIG, STEVEN) (Entered: 02/24/2006)

Feb. 24, 2006

Feb. 24, 2006

4

AMENDED COMPLAINT AGAINST CITY OF READING FILED BY READING BRANCH, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, CORTNEY HORNE, DECLARATION OF SERVICE.(ac, ) (Entered: 02/27/2006)

Feb. 27, 2006

Feb. 27, 2006

5

ORDER THAT THE INITIAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE BE HELD ON APRIL 3, 2006, AT 10:00 A.M.. SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 03/17/06. 03/17/06 ENTERED AND COPIES E−MAILED.(ac, ) (Entered: 03/17/2006)

March 17, 2006

March 17, 2006

6

ANSWER to Amended Complaint with Affirmative Defenses and Certificate of service by CITY OF READING.(LUDWIG, STEVEN) Modified on 3/21/2006 (np). (Entered: 03/20/2006)

March 20, 2006

March 20, 2006

7

ORDER THAT A SECOND PRETRIAL CONFERENCE IS SET FOR 7/6/2006 AT 10:00 AM IN JUDGE'S CHAMBERS BEFORE HONORABLE JUAN R. SANCHEZ. SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 4/5/06. 4/5/06 ENTERED AND COPIES E−MAILED.(mac, ) (Entered: 04/05/2006)

April 5, 2006

April 5, 2006

8

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge JUAN R. SANCHEZ : Pretrial Conference held on 04/03/06. (ac, ) (Entered: 04/06/2006)

April 5, 2006

April 5, 2006

9

APPLICATION OF DAVID L. ROSE, ESQUIRE TO PRACTICE IN THIS COURT BY READING BRANCH, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, STATMENT, DECLARATION, CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE. (ac, ) Additional attachment(s) added on 5/18/2006 (ac, ). (Entered: 05/01/2006)

May 1, 2006

May 1, 2006

10

ORDER THAT THE APPLICATION OF DAVID L. ROSE, ESQUIRE TO PRACTICE IN THIS COURT ON BEHALF OF READING BRANCH NAACP IS GRANTED. SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 05/03/06. 05/03/06 ENTERED AND COPIES MAILED AND FAXED.(ac, ) (ti, ). (Entered: 05/03/2006)

May 3, 2006

May 3, 2006

12

ORDER THAT EACH PARTY SHALL SUBMIT A WRITTEN STATUS REPORT TO THE COURT ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 6, 2006. SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 07/06/06. 07/07/06 ENTERED AND COPIES MAILED AND E−MAILED.(ac, ) (Entered: 07/07/2006)

July 6, 2006

July 6, 2006

13

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge JUAN R. SANCHEZ : Pretrial Conference held on 07/06/06. (ac, ) (Entered: 07/25/2006)

July 25, 2006

July 25, 2006

14

STATUS REPORT (Joint) by CITY OF READING. (LUDWIG, STEVEN) (Entered: 10/06/2006)

Oct. 6, 2006

Oct. 6, 2006

15

ORDER THAT A TELECONFERENCE WILL TAKE PLACE ON FEBRUARY 1, 2007, AT 11:30 A.M. TO DISCUSS THE STATUS OF THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT . SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 01/08/07. 01/08/07 ENTERED AND COPIES MAILED AND E−MAILED.(ac, ) (Entered: 01/08/2007)

Jan. 8, 2007

Jan. 8, 2007

16

NOTICE of Change of Address by PETER D. WINEBRAKE (WINEBRAKE, PETER) (Entered: 01/18/2007)

Jan. 18, 2007

Jan. 18, 2007

17

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge JUAN R. SANCHEZ : Telephone Conference held on 02/01/07. (ac, ) (Entered: 02/05/2007)

Feb. 5, 2007

Feb. 5, 2007

18

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT by READING BRANCH, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE, CORTNEY HORNE, CITY OF READING. (LUDWIG, STEVEN) (Entered: 03/27/2007)

March 27, 2007

March 27, 2007

19

CONSENT DECREE WITH COURT APPROVAL. SIGNED BY JUDGE JUAN R. SANCHEZ ON 03/27/07. 03/27/07 ENTERED AND COPIES MAILED AND FAXED.(ac, ) Additional attachment(s) added on 5/24/2007 (nda, ). (Entered: 03/27/2007)

March 27, 2007

March 27, 2007

Case Details

State / Territory: Pennsylvania

Case Type(s):

Equal Employment

Special Collection(s):

Multi-LexSum (in sample)

Key Dates

Filing Date: Dec. 8, 2005

Case Ongoing: No reason to think so

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

A black applicant for a position at the City of Reading Fire Department filing on behalf of himself and similarly situated individuals, joined by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Attorney Organizations:

Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg, LLP

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: Yes

Class Action Outcome: Granted

Defendants

City of Reading (Reading), City

Defendant Type(s):

Fire

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.

Available Documents:

Trial Court Docket

Complaint (any)

Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Form of Settlement:

Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree

Order Duration: 2007 - None

Content of Injunction:

Develop anti-discrimination policy

Comply with advertising/recruiting requirements

Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention

Issues

General:

Pattern or Practice

Discrimination-area:

Hiring

Discrimination-basis:

Race discrimination

Race:

Black