Discrimination

The National Fair Housing Alliance and Paralyzed Veterans of America announced Wednesday that they have settled a federal housing discrimination suit against a Virginia real estate developer. The groups claimed HHHunt Corp. built several apartment complexes, including one in Maryland, without respect for accessibility requirements. HHHunt will make the complexes accessible within the next three years and has agreed to pay its opponents' attorneys' fees, according to a statement from the groups.

Baltimore County has asked a judge to suspend proceedings in an age-discrimination case, saying in federal court filings that determining damages owed to employees and retirees could be a "lengthy, costly and complex" process that requires the review of 10,000 pension files. County officials think it could take at least two years to determine how much people are owed in the case, according to the court documents. U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg ruled last month that the county's pension system discriminates because older workers had to pay more toward their retirement than younger workers.

The case for Question 6, which would affirm Maryland's law authorizing same-sex marriage, is simple. It upholds the principle that the law should treat everyone the same. Marriage is both a religious and a civil institution. Churches, synagogues and mosques have always set their own rules about which marriages they recognize, and this law does not change that fact. What it does is to ensure that no Marylander faces discrimination under the law when it comes to one of the state's fundamental institutions.

In a decision that could affect thousands of active and retired Baltimore County employees, a federal judge ruled that the county's pension system discriminates against beneficiaries because older workers were required to pay more toward their retirement than younger workers. U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg sided with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, finding that the county system violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. It is unclear what the financial impact on the county could be because the court has not determined damages in the case.

As the Supreme Court once again takes up the issue of affirmative action in college admissions, The Sun's view that this discriminatory practice should be preserved is wrong in both theory and practice ("Race and admissions," Oct. 10). At its core, affirmative action discriminates against a group of people based upon the color of their skin, presumably with the noble goal of helping another group of people with a different skin color. The problem with such a practice is that it legitimizes discrimination.

Like everyone I know, I am planning to vote this November for Question 6 to legalize same-sex marriages in Maryland. The law will rectify an unfair situation which, if it were not so ugly in its discrimination, would almost be humorous. It was all right for Mickey Rooney or Elizabeth Taylor to get married as many times as they wanted, but two males or two females don't have that right. Anyone who votes against marriage equality probably is unaware of the institution's history.

Weeks after Baltimore County agreed pay about $500,000 to settle a workplace discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, a former county police lieutenant and two former firefighters have filed federal lawsuits claiming that they were illegally forced off their jobs. Each of the suits filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore demands $2.3 million in damages and compensation for violations of rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which bars workplace and hiring discrimination based on medical conditions.

Regarding your editorial about the student protest against Chick-fil-A at University of Maryland, I think you have the right bottom line ("College Park should think bigger," Aug. 21). After all, one of the definitions of liberal is tolerance of others' ideas. Yet you fail to mention that Chick-fil-A does not practice discrimination against its employees or customers. And where was the school administration on this issue - "out to lunch," as usual? But surely not at Chick-fil-A.

Baltimore County has agreed to pay about $500,000 and reform workplace practices to settle a federal lawsuit accusing officials of discrimination against 10 Police and Fire Department employees and job applicants, chiefly on the basis of medical conditions, according to court documents. The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a 28-page complaint against the county in U.S. District Court and a 20-page agreement to settle the allegations rather than pursue them to a trial. The government accused the county of "a pattern or practice of discrimination" in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act against eight uniformed and civilian employees and two job applicants.

A frequent critic of Baltimore's contract bidding process filed a lawsuit Wednesday contending that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and other members of the Board of Estimates have acted "discriminatorily and outright corruptly" by awarding contracts to large firms without considering minority contractors. The 185-page civil lawsuit brought by Arnold Jolivet, managing director of the Maryland Minority Contractors Association Inc., seeks damages for what it calls "flagrantly unlawful, willful and unconscionable conduct" by city officials.