Us Department Of Justice Official Release - 03306-601 Txt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1994

CR (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888

DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION TO PAY OVER $3 MILLION FOR REFUSING TO HIRE AND PROMOTE WOMEN WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal court in Delaware has approved a settlement requiring the state to pay over $3 million for refusing to hire or promote women at its correctional facilities. The settlement approved yesterday resolves a 1990 suit filed by the Justice Department in U.S. District Court in Wilmington alleging that the state engaged in a pattern of discrimination. The suit challenged a 1980 state law that prohibited women from working in male housing units in its Department of Correction. In 1992, the court ruled that the state statute violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, by severely limiting the hiring and promotional opportunities for women. "The Justice Department is committed to enforcing vigorously our anti-discrimination laws," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick. "Today's settlement will provide relief to those who were unlawfully locked out of the jobs they chose to pursue." The settlement is the second largest obtained by the Justice Department in an employment case involving discrimination based on gender. The largest involved the Florida Department of Corrections which agreed to pay $3.7 million for engaging in discriminatory employment practices. The agreement, which was reached by the parties in May, creates a $3 million fund to compensate victims of the discriminatory practices from 1980 through 1992, when the federal district court struck down the statute. It also provides retroactive pension benefits to those women who receive priority employment or promotion based on past discrimination. After reaching the agreement in May, the Justice Department sent notices to all women who filed claims of discrimination in the case informing them whether they were eligible for monetary or other relief. On June 27, those claimants who disagreed with the Justice Department's determinations raised objections with the federal court. Today's order denied those objections. "We believe this agreement will further employment opportunities for women in the Department of Correction," said Nina Pala, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. "We look forward to working with attorneys from the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and the State of Delaware to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented." # # # 94-601