The City of Chicago is poised to settle for $11.25 million in a gender discrimination lawsuit involving the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) and a group of women who sought to become paramedics. In a series of tests deemed "discriminatory" by the plaintiffs, multiple women were either injured or failed outright, according to the Chicago Tribune.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the physical exams in question included exercises like carrying a heavy mannequin up flights of stairs and stepping to an elevation with weights.
The tests, described as having been "concocted" by instructors, resulted in injuries for some of the female participants, including career-ending back and hip injuries, as noted by the Chicago Sun-Times. The article revealed that one of the women "tore her hip open" because of the tests.
"This testing has no legally defensible justification and eliminates a significant number of women, but virtually no men," the lawsuit stated, as per the Chicago Tribune.
Despite reforms and payouts in past discrimination lawsuits, the incidents continue to surface. As told to the Chicago Sun-Times, attorney Marni Willenson representing the plaintiffs said, "This is a good deal for the city. If this continued to trial, the city was facing massive exposure."
The settlement also addresses broader workplace conditions, with reports of male employees relieving themselves with open doors, and female firefighters being made to sleep in undesirable areas of the firehouse, as the Chicago Sun-Times detailed. Following the City Council's approval, some of the women would be rehired with retroactive seniority and pensions, while others unable to return to work would receive various amounts for damages, with attorney's fees totaling $4.25 million.
