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United States v. City of New York
FDNY Employment Discrimination Case

In July 2009 and January 2010, the Court issued two rulings finding that the written exams used by the City of New York to hire FDNY firefighters were discriminatory and unlawful, including a finding of intentional discrimination. In March 2012, the Court ruled that the City may owe as much as $128 million in back pay to individuals who were subjected to the City's discriminatory practices. For more information about this lawsuit, please read our Overview of the Case.

Important Update!

The Court-appointed Special Masters have begun making recommendations to the Court regarding whether individuals who submitted claim forms are eligible for relief. If you submitted a claim form, the Special Masters will examine your eligibility for relief on a rolling basis. The Special Masters will inform you of their recommendation by summer 2013.

If you receive a letter attaching the Special Master's Report and Recommendation to the Court regarding your eligibility for relief, you have a limited time if you wish to object.

See Claims Process for more information.

If you are a black claimant and you have questions about seeking a claim for compensatory damages, please visit www.fdnycase.com.

Update your contact information

If you have already submitted a claim form in this case and your contact information has changed since you submitted the claim form, please provide your updated contact information here.

Go here for more information about providing your updated contact information.

Current Status & Important Dates

(see Case Timeline and Court Decisions page for more info)

November 30, 2012
: Deadline for claimants to object to the United States' preliminary eligibility determination.
October 26, 2012
: The Court issued a Final Relief Order.
October 1 - 4, 2012
: The Court held a Fairness Hearing regarding the terms of the proposed Relief Order entered on July 6, 2012.
September 28, 2012
: The Court issued an Order approving the City's proposed use of Exam 2000 in entry-level firefighter selection.
July 10, 2012
: The Court provisionally entered a proposed Relief Order summarizing the individual relief available in this lawsuit.
March 8, 2012
: The Court issued an order finding the City owes up to $128 million in back pay damages for lost wages to individuals harmed by the City's discriminatory practices.
December 9, 2011
: The City filed a Notice of Appeal of the Court's December 8, 2011 Injunctive Relief Order and Appointment of a Court Monitor.
December 8, 2011
: The Court issued Partial Judgment and an Injunctive Relief Order.