Chapter 2: Major Title VII Judical Scenarios

TIP Articles (From the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Inc.) Gutman --- Ground Rules for Adverse Impact Gutman: Adverse Impact: Why Is It So Difficult to Understand? Employer Burden of Proof May Be Reduced in Testing Cases by Edward E. Potter (Watson summary) Supreme Courts Wards Cove Packing Decision Redefines the Adverse Impact Decision Under Title VII  by Edward E. Potter Dunleavy & Gutman: An Update on the Statistical Versus Practical Significance Debate: A Review of Stagi v. Amtrak (2010)

Related Laws Title VII of the Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-166)

 

 

Section I: The McDonnell-Burdine Scenario

Key Cases:

McDonnell-Douglas v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973)

Furnco Construction Corp. v. Waters, 438 U.S. 567 (1978)

Board of Trustees v. Sweeney, 439 U.S. 24 (1978)

Texas Dept. Of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248 (1981)

U.S. Postal Service Bd. of Govs. v. Aikens, 460 U.S. 711 (1983)

St. Mary's Honor Ctr. v. Hicks (92-602), 509 U.S. 502 (1993)

U.S. v. Crosby (11th Cir., 1995)

Combs v. Plantation Patterns (11th Cir., 1997)

Kolstad v. American Dental Assn. (98-208) 527 U.S. 526 (1999)
Click here to listen to the oral argument and/or decision in the Kolstad case

Carey v. Mt. Desert (1st Cir., 1998)

Section II: Mixed-Motion Scenarios

Key Cases:

Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228 (1989)
Click here for the oral argument in Price Waterhouse

Ostrowski v. Atlantic Mutual (2nd. Cir., 1992)

Haynes v. W. C. Caye (2nd Cir., 1995)

Evans v. McClain (11th Cir., 1997)

O'Conner v. Viacom (2nd. Cir., 1996)

Jones v. Oklahoma (10th. Cir., 1998)

Wallace v. SMC, 7th Cir.. 1997)

Desert Palce v. Costa (2003)
Click here for the oral argument and/or opinion in Costa

Section III: Pattern or Practice Scenarios

Key Cases:

Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324 (1977)

Hazelwood School District v. United States, 433 U.S. 299 (1977)

EEOC v. Mitsubishi Motor Mfg. of America Inc. 102 F.3d 869 (1996)

Wal-Mart v. Dukes, 564 U. S. ___ (2011)

Section IV: Statutory Defenses

• Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOC)

Key Cases:

Dothard v. Rawlinson, 433 U.S. 321 (1977)

 

Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc., 499 U.S. 187 (1991)

Click here to listen to the oral argument and/or opinion in the Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls case

 

• Bona Fide Seniority Systems (BFSS)

Key Cases:

          Pullman-Standard v. Swift 456 U.S. 273 (1982)

         

          United States v. Georgia Power 695 F.2d 890 (1983)

 

          Firefighters v. Stotts 467 U.S. 561 (1984)

 

Lorance v. AT&T Technologies Inc., 490 U.S. 900 (1989)
Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Lorance case

Section V: Early Adverse Impact Traditions

Key Cases:

Griggs v. Duke Power Co. 401 U.S. 424 (1971)

Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Griggs case

 

Albemarle Paper v. Moody 422 U.S. 405 (1975)

 

Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229 (1976)

Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Washington v. Davis case

 

Connecticut v. Teal 457 U.S. 440 (1982)

Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Teal case

 

Adverse Impact Light

 

Key Cases:

 

New York Transit Authority v. Beazer, 440 U.S. 568 (1979)

 

Spurlock v. United Airlines 475 F.2d 216 (1972)

 

          Adverse Impact Heavy

 

         Key Cases:

        

         Boyd v. Ozark Airlines 588 F.2d 50 (1977)

 

         Horace v. Pontiac 624 F.2d 765 (1980)

 

         Bradley v. Pizzaco 7 F.3d 795 (1993)

 

         Fitzpatrick v. Atlanta 2 F.3d 1112 (1993)  

 

Section VI: The Watson and Wards Cove Rulings

Watson v. Fort Worth Bank and Trust 486 U.S. 977 (1988)

Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Watson case

Click here for a summary of the Watson decision in The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

 

Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio 490 U.S. 642 (1989)

Click here to listen to the oral argument in the Wards Cove case

Click here for a summary of the Wards Cove decision in The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist

 

Section VII: The Aftermath of Wards Cove

Civil Rights Act of 1991

Issues For Compliance

Key Cases:

Guardians v. Civil Service 630 F.2d 79 (1980)

Lanning v. SEPTA 308 F.3d 286 (2002)

Bew v. City of Chicago 252 F.3d 891 (2001)

Isabel v. City of Memphis 404 F.3d 404 (2005)

Gilbert v. Little Rock 722 F.2d 1390 (1983)

Bradley v. City of Lynn 433 F, Supp. 2d. 157 (2006)

Connecticut v. Teal 457 U.S. 440 (1982)

 

Uniform Guidelines (all sections)

• Uniform Guidelines on disparate treatment
• Uniform Guidelines on disparate impact (4/5 rule)
• Uniform Guidelines on  documentation of impact (& validity evidence)
• SIOP Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures (2003)

 

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