Courtesy of Abel Cano Jr.
After nearly 15 years of litigation, the Suffolk County Superior Court on Thursday awarded more than 600 Black and Latinx police officers a total of $40 million in compensation, finding they were overlooked for promotion due to a discriminatory promotional exam.
A court order released Thursday from the Suffolk County Superior Court found the state’s human resources division “had an unlawful disparate impact upon Black and Latinx candidates in the police sergeant promotional examinations” and “interfered with class members’ rights to consideration for promotion.”
One of the plaintiffs, Abel Cano Jr., now 55, told The Daily Beast that despite having a master’s degree in criminal justice and an extensive background of experience, he was denied a promotion on multiple occasions.