Court rules NY Fire Dept hiring practices discriminatory

Today, United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit charging the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) with intentionally racially discriminatory hiring practices. The case, which proved the FDNY examination was in violation of civil rights laws, was filed on behalf of the Vulcan Society, the fraternal organization of Black firefighters in the FDNY by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and co-counsel from Levy Ratner, P.C. and Scott + Scott, LLP. An earlier win in the case on July 22, 2009, ruled that the impact of the test was racially discriminatory, but today's summary ruling of intentional discrimination is far more rare. In today's ruling, Judge Garaufis found the City of New York had excluded Blacks and Hispanics from the Fire Department for decades, since the 1960's, and called it "a persistent stain on the Fire Department's record." Said Richard Levy of Levy Ratner, P.C., CCR cooperating attorney and lead counsel in the case, "This decision represents a major victory for all minority citizens of New York City who have been denied employment because of their race, color or national origin."