Comcast Reaches $7.2M Race Bias Class Action Settlement

According to court documents filed Tuesday in Illinois federal court, Comcast Corporation Inc. has agreed to pay up to $7.21 million to settle allegations of racial discrimination. The parties have asked an Illinois federal judge to approve the deal.

The settlement will resolve a race bias class action lawsuit filed in 2011 that alleged Comcast discriminated against African-American technicians who worked at a facility in Chicago.

The technicians were allegedly subject to discrimination through unfair performance reviews, racist comments and poor work conditions. The complaint accused Comcast of several civil rights violations.

According to the race bias class action lawsuit, the conditions at the facility were much worse than other Comcast facilities, and managers referred to African-American technicians as “ghetto tech[s], dumb black people and thugs.”

The plaintiffs also alleged that technicians were forced to install broken or defective equipment, requiring them to make repeated visits to repair problems. They were subsequently given poor performance evaluations, which made it more difficult for them to receive raises, bonuses or promotions.

Comcast has denied all of the allegations of wrongdoing but agreed to settle the race bias class action lawsuit to avoid the uncertainty and expense of ongoing litigation. The company maintains that the Chicago facility was in poor condition when it was initially leased, but that Comcast tried to improve the situation. Further, Comcast asserts that the racial slurs and other issues brought forth in the class action lawsuit were isolated incidents.

Comcast also noted that it has made significant changes since the race bias class action lawsuit was filed in 2011. The company says it has stopped using the performance improvement plan, implemented a “Comcast Listens” system that allows employees to submit complaints online or by phone, and revamped its procedures for distributing customer equipment to Chicago-area facilities.

Class Members of the proposed Comcast race bias settlement include current and former African American employees who worked at the Comcast 112th Street facility in Chicago at any time since Jan. 1, 2005.

Notice of the Comcast settlement will be mailed to Class Members if the settlement is preliminarily approved. Under the terms of the proposed class action settlement, Class Members must submit a Claim Form to qualify for benefits.

Individual payments will be determined based on a number of factors, including length of employment, whether the employee made a complaint about the workplace, whether the employee was on a performance improvement plan, and the individual’s participation in the litigation.

More information about how to file a claim for the Comcast race bias class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

Class Members are represented by Noelle Christine Brennan and Danielle Nicole Hoffmann of Noelle Brennan & Associates Ltd.

The Comcast Race Bias Class Action Lawsuit is Brand, et al. v. Comcast Corp. Inc., Case No. 1:11-cv-08471, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.