United States v. Rhode Island Department of Corrections

81 F. Supp. 3d 182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10076, 126 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 254, 2015 WL 365818
CourtDistrict Court, D. Rhode Island
DecidedJanuary 29, 2015
DocketC.A. No. 14-78 S
StatusPublished

This text of 81 F. Supp. 3d 182 (United States v. Rhode Island Department of Corrections) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Rhode Island Department of Corrections, 81 F. Supp. 3d 182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10076, 126 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 254, 2015 WL 365818 (D.R.I. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WILLIAM E. SMITH, Chief Judge.

The Court is confronted with a seemingly straightforward pair of inquiries. First, what, if any, procedural prerequisites must the United States Attorney General abide by in bringing a lawsuit under Section 707 of Title VII? Second, does any statute of limitations apply to such a lawsuit under Section 707(a)? Upon consideration and analysis, these questions are anything but simple and require an extensive examination of Title VII.1

[184]*184Here, the United States Attorney General (“Attorney General” or “Government”) initiated a lawsuit under Section 707 of Title VII against the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (“DOC”) and the State of Rhode Island (collectively “Defendants”), alleging that the DOC engaged in a pattern or practice of unintentional discrimination in its hiring practices of correctional officers from 2000 to present. The Attorney General seeks an injunction to prevent future discrimination and back-pay damages to “make whole” those who have been harmed by the discriminatory practice in the past. The DOC has moved to dismiss the Complaint (ECF No. 9), arguing that the Attorney General failed to comply with the procedural prerequisites set out in Title VII, and did not bring this lawsuit within the time period required to obtain back pay.

Because the Court determines that the Attorney General need not clear the procedural hurdles set forth in Section 706 of Title VII, and is not bound by a statute of limitations, the DOC’s Motion to Dismiss is DENIED.2

1. Background

A. Facts3

Since 2000, the DOC has used written and video examinations for screening and selecting candidates for entry-level correction officer (“CO”) jobs. (Compl. ¶¶ 9-10.) Candidates must obtain passing scores on each of these exams to be placed on an eligibility list for CO positions. (Compl. ¶ 11.) DOC then places applicants on an eligibility list in descending order based solely on their video examination scores.

From 2000 to 2011, approximately 94% of white applicants passed the written examination for entry-level CO positions compared to 74% of Hispanic applicants and 74% of African-American applicants. (Compl. ¶¶ 16-17.) During the same time period, approximately 66% of white applicants passed the video examination for entry-level CO positions compared to 37% of Hispanic applicants and 47% of African-American applicants. (Compl. ¶¶ 22-23.) Considering the scores from both tests combined, approximately 63% of white applicants passed both tests compared to 33% of Hispanic applicants and 41% of African-American applicants from 2000 to 2011. (Compl. ¶¶ 24-25.) The DOC initiated the written and video examination process most recently in November 2013, but the results from this round of testing have not been used.

On February 2, 2014, relying upon these statistics, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) initiated this lawsuit on behalf of the Attorney General, seeking injunctive relief and back pay for those [185]*185individuals affected;4 the investigation into whether such a lawsuit should be filed began long before that date. In a letter sent in September 2009, the DOJ stated that it had information indicating that “the percentages of black, Hispanic and female correctional officers at the [DOC] are significantly lower than would be expected for an agency of this type.” The letter further informed the DOC that the DOJ would be conducting an investigation into whether a pattern or practice of discrimination was to blame for this discrepancy.

This investigation concluded in November 2013, when the DOJ notified the state of the Attorney General’s intention to bring suit if a negotiated resolution could not be reached.5 No resolution was reached.

B. Statutory Framework

1. Title VII

The Attorney General has brought this ease pursuant to Section 707(a) of Title VII. In pertinent part, this provision states:

Whenever the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that any person or group of persons is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of any of the rights secured by this subchapter, and that the pattern or practice is of such a nature and is intended to deny the full exercise of the rights herein described, the Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States by filing with it a complaint. ...

42 U.S.C. § 2000e-6(a). Some courts have held that to initiate a case under Section 707(a), the Attorney General must merely comport with the letter of this statute and believe that reasonable cause exists to file a suit. See United States v. Masonry Contractors Ass’n. of Memphis, Inc., 497 F.2d 871, 875-76 (6th Cir.1974); United States v. New Jersey, 473 F.Supp. 1199, 1203-05 (D.N.J.1979) (same); Lanning v. Se. Pennsylvania Transp. Auth., 176 F.R.D. 132, 140 (E.D.Pa.1997) (“It is well-established that the administrative requirements of Section 706, including the obligation to engage in conciliation, do not apply to cases brought by the Attorney General under Section 707.”). At least one court, however, has opined that the Attorney General is likely bound to follow the prerequisites found in Section 706 of Title VII, which are discussed in more detail below. United States v. Fresno Unified Sch. Dist., 592 F.2d 1088, 1095-96 (9th Cir.1979) (noting that it appeared as though Congress intended to apply the requirements of Section 706 to Section 707).

Meanwhile, a different subsection of Section 707 authorizes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) to “investigate and act on a charge of a pattern or practice of discrimination, whether filed by or on behalf of a person claiming to be aggrieved or by a member of the Commission.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-6(e). Such actions, however, “shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in [Section 706] of this title.” Id.

[186]*186These Section 706 procedures require, among other things, that an individual alleging an unlawful employment practice must file a charge with the EEOC within 180 days of the alleged unlawful employment action. Id. § 2000e-5(e)(l). The EEOC then provides the employer with notice of this charge. Id. § 2000e-5(b). Section 706 further requires that the EEOC promptly investigate any unlawful employment action within 120 days. Id. at § 2000e-5(b). If the EEOC determines that “there is reasonable cause to believe that the charge is true,” then it must engage in conciliation to try to informally eliminate the offending action. Id. § 2000e-5(b). Section 706(e)(3)(B) limits back pay to two years preceding the filing of a charge with the EEOC.

The parties’ contentions in this case require a close examination of the history of Section 707. While “Section 707(a) of Title VII ... has remained unchanged since its enactment as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,”

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81 F. Supp. 3d 182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10076, 126 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 254, 2015 WL 365818, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-rhode-island-department-of-corrections-rid-2015.