MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department announced last week that it reached an agreement with the City of Minneapolis to resolve its lawsuit alleging discrimination on the basis of disability and genetic information.
The Justice Department’s complaint alleges that a veteran was not hired by the Minneapolis Police Department in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because of his disability of post-traumatic stress disorder. The complaint also alleges that Minneapolis engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) by routinely requesting and obtaining genetic information from applicants for police officer positions during the pre-employment examination process. This is the department’s first lawsuit challenging discrimination under Title II of GINA.
Under the agreement, Minneapolis will pay $189,338.89 in damages to the complainant, and will implement policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that it does not discriminate in its hiring practices on the basis of disability, and does not request, require, or unlawfully obtain information in violation of the ADA or GINA. Minneapolis will also train applicable Police Department employees.