Target to pay $3.74M to settle discrimination claims

Target has agreed to pay $3.74 million to settle claims that its background criminal checks discriminated against thousands of black and Latino applicants.

The class-action lawsuit and settlement, both filed Thursday, stem from a 2006 complaint against the retailer filed on behalf of Carnella Times, who received a job offer from Target to work as an overnight stocker in South Windsor, Connecticut. The job was later rescinded after the company’s background check found that she had two misdemeanor convictions from a decade earlier.

The big-box chain said Thursday that members of the class-action lawsuit will receive priority in its hiring process for job openings at the company’s 1,800 U.S. stores. Applicants who are no longer in the market for a job — because they’re already employed or are retired, for example — will be eligible for a cash award.

Read more from The Washington Post