FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRT (202) 616-2777 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - - Subject to formal ratification by the Municipal Council at its February 6, 2002 meeting, the City of Newark, New Jersey, and the Justice Department have agreed to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging religious discrimination against current and former Muslim police officers. After formal ratification by the Municipal Council, the settlement will be submitted to the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey for approval and entry as a consent decree.
In May 2000, the Justice Department filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, alleging that the City discriminated against current and former police officers on the basis of their religion by failing or refusing reasonably to accommodate their religious observance, practice and belief as Muslims. The suit also alleged that the City threatened the Muslim officers with termination, transferred them to undesirable assignments and denied them opportunities to work special overtime events.
"Religious freedom is one of the bedrock principles of our democracy," said Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "This settlement recognizes that an employee's religious expression is not checked at the workplace door when the employer can reasonably accommodate the employee's religious practice." Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the City will offer to pay back pay and compensatory damages to 10 current and former Newark police officers. In addition, the City will implement non-discriminatory employment policies designed to reasonably accommodate the religious observance, practice and belief of Police Department employees.
"Now more than ever, we are concerned about religious discrimination in employment, and we will continue to vigorously enforce the law in this area throughout all of New Jersey," said Corrado Gigante, Director of the Newark Area Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "Individual employees can make a difference in their workplaces. We hope that this settlement will influence other employers in the private and public sectors to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of their employees when the reasonable accommodation does not place an undue hardship on the employers." As part of the settlement, the City also will offer to expunge from the police officers' disciplinary records any reference to disciplinary action taken against them. The agreement will remain under court supervision for two years, during which time the Justice Department will monitor the City's compliance with its terms.
Two police officers originally filed charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which investigated the matter and found reasonable cause to believe that a violation of Title VII had occurred before referring it to the Justice Department.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of gender, race, color, national origin or religion. More information about the Civil Rights Act and other federal employment laws is available on the Department of Justice internet site at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/emp/index. 02-048
Source: US Department of Justice
