Mercer Community College Pays $300K To Settle Discrimination Suit
Originally at news.google.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
A $300K settlement by a community college underscores the financial and operational risk of unresolved pay-equity and discrimination claims; dental practice owners and DSOs should audit wage gaps and promotion processes to limit similar exposure under state anti-discrimination statutes.
Key points
- Mercer County Community College agreed on to pay Shana Burnett $200,000 and her attorneys $100,000 to settle claims of unequal pay, race discrimination, disability discrimination and retaliation under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
- Burnett, an administrative specialist hired in 2001, alleged she was paid less than a white colleague with similar credentials and was repeatedly denied promotions despite an HR determination in 2020 that she should be reclassified as an executive assistant.
- The college did not admit wrongdoing, citing a business decision to avoid trial costs, and the agreement required Burnett to resign, included confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses, and barred her from future employment at the college.
- The settlement follows a 2022 EEOC complaint and a 2024 state-court filing that alleged Burnett received only a $200 equity raise when other union members received up to $7,000.
Who should care
Read the original on Media: Practice risk & enforcement
Full reporting and any paywall content live on news.google.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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