Evanston Broke Genetic Privacy Law With Job Seekers, Suit Says

A former equipment operator for Evanston, Ill., filed a class suit in federal court alleging the city violated the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act by asking job applicants about family medical history.

Melvin Jeter claims Evanston required the family medical histories as part of pre-employment physicals conducted by a third party and that he wasn’t allowed to start in his position until he completed them.

Such information qualifies as protected genetic information under GIPA, which prohibits employers from soliciting it. Jeter seeks to represent a class of individuals who applied for jobs or were hired by Evanston in the past ...