NTT Data Avoids Race Bias Suit Over Criminal Background Screens

NTT Data Inc. beat a proposed class suit alleging its criminal background check policy for job applicants illegally screened out black candidates.

The plaintiffs alleged NTT Data pulled job offers from applicants if a background check turned up a past felony conviction. They alleged that because blacks are statistically more likely than whites to interact with the criminal justice system, the IT service provider’s policy disproportionately affects blacks.

But the general statistics didn’t support the plaintiffs’ claim that NTT Data’s policy had a disparate impact on black job candidates, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York ...