Case: Discrimination/Disparate Treatment (D. Md.)

A man of Nigerian descent employed as a correctional officer by Prince George’s County is entitled to a trial on his claim that he was subject to disparate treatment when he was discharged after attacking a detainee while he was accidentally locked in his cell, a Maryland federal court ruled. A factual dispute exists as to whether the county acted with discriminatory intent because similarly situated comparators were also found guilty of using excessive force against detainees, but they were disciplined less severely. The county asserted that it overruled an administrative hearing board’s recommendation of demotion, reduction in pay and ...