New Haven Firefighters Settle Race Discrimination Claims - NYTimes.com: NEW HAVEN (AP) — White firefighters who won a race-discrimination case before the Supreme Court in 2009 will receive about $2 million in damages from the City of New Haven, officials said Thursday. The settlement helps end a seven-year-long legal battle that propelled national debate over racial justice.
The Supreme Court ruled that officials had violated white firefighters’ civil rights when they threw out the results of promotion tests in 2003 because too few minority applicants did well. After that ruling, the case went back to United States District Court in Connecticut, where the firefighters sought back pay, damages and legal fees.
Court documents indicated that the 20 firefighters accepted offers from the city for back pay, additional pension benefits and interest on Wednesday. A trial to decide the damages had been set to begin Aug. 26.
