Background checks in the employment context have increasingly come under fire. In April, an applicant for a bus driver position filed a class action lawsuit against Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) after he was disqualified due to a 20-year-old drug conviction. The lawsuit, Long v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 2:16-cv-01991 (E.D.Pa. April 27), reenergized the debate about the legality of background checks and the relevance of an applicant’s criminal history.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has addressed the issue at length, including most recently in 2012, when it issued guidance for employers in response to alarming statistics that conviction and incarceration rates were disproportionally high for certain protected classes. The guidance addresses Title VII implications on the usage of criminal history and provides employers with best practices for complying with the law and avoiding liability.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
