BALTIMORE – The Maryland Department of State Police has reached a $2 million settlement with the U.S. government after being accused of using discriminatory hiring practices in violation of federal law, CBS News Baltimore reported.
The October 2024 lawsuit alleged that MDSP’s physical fitness and written tests for entry-level trooper positions were not job-related and disproportionately disqualified women and African American applicants, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the report.
Although MDSP denied any wrongdoing, the department agreed to use only lawful hiring tests moving forward. As part of the settlement, MDSP will provide financial awards and priority hiring to affected women and African American applicants who may have been hired if the tests in question had not been used, according to the report.
The $2 million settlement will be distributed as back pay to eligible applicants who were disqualified by the tests between 2017 and the present. Payments are intended to compensate for wages that applicants might have earned had they been hired.
The total amount each individual will receive will depend on the number of eligible recipients, according to the report. In addition to financial awards, MDSP has committed to prioritizing the hiring of up to 25 affected applicants who meet current qualifications. These priority hires will receive retroactive seniority and a hiring bonus.
Applicants are eligible for compensation or priority hiring if they are female or African American, applied for a trooper position with MDSP, were disqualified by the physical fitness test and met the minimum qualifications in place at the time of their disqualification.
The settlement requires court approval before awards can be distributed. A hearing is scheduled for March 10, 2025, at 11 a.m., and individuals who wish to object to the settlement must do so by January 20, 2025, according to the report. Once the settlement is approved, eligible applicants will be notified and provided instructions on how to submit forms to claim their financial awards.
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