Baltimore Co. Settles Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- Pay up! That's the message from the Department of Justice to Baltimore County after settling a half-million dollar lawsuit for disability discrimination against county employees, including veteran police officers and firefighters.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on the lawsuit.
The city paid more than $200,000 to an undercover police detective after he sued the city for discrimination. His lawsuit has led to other suits being filed. Now the county will pay out more than $500,000.
It's been six years since attorney Kathleen Cahill took on Baltimore County in a disability lawsuit.
"Hopefully, it will finally get this tremendously stubborn government to comply with the law," said Cahill.
The suit covers veteran firefighters, police officers and paramedics who were or had suffered from a medical condition and were forced out of work, even though their ailments did not affect their job performance.
"It is offensive to all of us, where these are the people who protect and serve and they had the misfortune of having a medical condition or injury. Some aren't seriously ill," Cahill said.
In 2007, the Department of Justice got involved and found the county in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Cole Westin, president of the county's Fraternal Order of Police, says the cost of injustice not only affects county funds but employee morale.
"People are very cognizant about what's going on with their co-workers, friends and what their families go through and that had a chilling effect on all county employees," Westin said.
The county has agreed to the consent decree calling for more than $518,000 in damages to be paid. The county will also be required to pay $600,000 in attorney fees. With all the legal fees, the county is paying nearly a million dollars and it's coming out of the pockets of taxpayers.
"I think somebody has to be accountable for it, but not us," said Baltimore County resident Gregory Brown.
Cahill says this is just the first wave of complaints to be settled. She says other county employees faced discrimination.
"That whole group of folks to have fallen victim to this pattern of practice and their claims are working through the EEOC at this point," she said.
The county has 30 days to pay the lawsuit.
