McDermott, CB&I Beat Race Bias Claims in Class Suit Over Layoffs

McDermott International Inc. convinced a federal judge to dismiss race bias class claims alleging its subsidiary CB&I Inc. disproportionately terminated Black workers and rehired White ones.

Louis Smith failed to allege a disparate impact claim for race bias when he didn’t point to a facially neutral policy responsible for the alleged statistical disparities in the reduction in force, Judge Brian A. Jackson of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana said Monday.

Smith’s lawsuit stems from his termination in 2016 when he was laid off along with nearly 100 other employees due to a “work shortage.”

Smith ...