State officials in Iowa deny all allegations of racial discrimination in lawsuit

JENNIFER JACOBS, Des Moines Register

State officials have denied all the allegations of racial discrimination in a lawsuit that alleges bias in the state’s hiring practices.

In the court documents received by the plaintiff’s attorneys Wednesday, state officials say the workers failed to demonstrate that the state uses “a particular practice” that causes discrimination based on race. The practices identified in the lawsuit were “job-related and consistent with business necessity.”

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 29 in Polk County District Court by civil rights attorney Thomas Newkirk, seeks to represent any black person who has faced state hiring discrimination.

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