The City of Austin, Texas and the US Department of Justice have reach an agreement to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed in 2013.
The DOJ filed suit on behalf of 12 African-American and 18 Hispanic applicants who alleged the 2012 hiring process was discriminatory.
The parties are poised to enter into a consent decree that will require the department to change its screening and selection practices for entry-level positions. The city has agreed to pay $780,000 in back pay to applicants “who were harmed by the 2012 hiring practice…and who are determined to be eligible for relief.”