Judges fault lawyers in Class action suit for Black Transporation Workers
Monday, September 13, 2004 at 04:21AM
TheSpook
Three federal judges agree that attorneys
representing thousands of black Alabama Department of Transportation
employees intentionally dragged out a discrimination case to generate
"fees for any lawyer activity, meritorious, lacking of merit or
frivolous." The lawsuit against DOT has continued for nearly two
decades. In an opinion handed down this week, U.S. Circuit Judges
Rosemary Barkett and James C. Hill, along with U.S. District Judge Owen
Forrester, agreed with a Montgomery federal judge's opinion that
plaintiffs' attorneys in what is known as the Johnny Reynolds case
"violated the spirit, if not the letter," of ethical rules regarding
contact with witnesses. The Reynolds suit was brought in 1985 by
thousands of black DOT workers who claimed the department kept blacks
from advancing. Although the case is ongoing, in 1994, the state agreed
to pay plaintiffs about $50 million and provide training for black DOT
employees. [more ]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.