Opinion ID: 618714
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Rodriguez Settlement

Text: Like that of many other New Jersey fire departments, the racial composition of North Hudson has been the subject of legal challenge. In 2001, thirteen Hispanic firefighters sued North Hudson for disparate-impact discrimination in promotions. See Rodriguez v. N. Hudson Reg'l Fire & Rescue, No. 01-3153 (D.N.J. filed July 2, 2001). After almost four years of litigation, the parties settled the case. In the settlement agreement ( Rodriguez Settlement), North Hudson agreed to promote four of the plaintiffs, waive length-of-service prerequisites for registering for the next chief/officer exam, and advertise in Spanish and English media to attract additional qualified applicants of Hispanic/Latino origin. The Rodriguez Settlement imposed no other hiring obligations on North Hudson, however. Although the Rodriguez Settlement dealt primarily with promotional practices, the advertising initiatives may have increased Hispanic hiring. Whereas in 2001 the Rodriguez plaintiffs alleged that only 7% of North Hudson firefighters were Hispanic, in 2007, 38% of new hires were Hispanic, and by 2008, the percentage of Hispanic North Hudson firefighters had climbed to 19%. None of the Plaintiffs or the Intervenors in this appeal was a party to the Rodriguez case.