Worcester Settles 27-Year Police Promotion Discrimination Lawsuit

WORCESTER, MA — The city of Worcester has agreed to settle a decades-old lawsuit brought by two Black police officers over racial discrimination in police promotions, according to court records.

The officers, Andrew Harris and Spencer Tatum, sued the city in 1994, saying white officers were given promotions for positions in the department Harris and Tatum were qualified for. Tatum has retired, and Harris died before the suit was resolved.

Worcester will pay $1.5 million and will follow an affirmative action plan to ensure discrimination in promotions does not occur in the future, according to court records and published reports.

"This court battle has been emotional roller coaster for both plaintiffs and the Black community," the Worcester NAACP said in a news release Tuesday. "Several times we felt the matter was close to being resolved, only to have set back after set back. Now 27 years later Andrew and Spencer’s family are receiving some closure. The sad thing is it took nearly three decades to resolve something that could have been resolved decades ago."

As recently as 2015, state judges have upheld claims made by Tatum and Harris. The city appealed them, but a Worcester County Superior Court judge in January upheld decisions against the city handed down in 2011 and 2015.

On Aug. 27, the two sides agreed to dismiss the case with no right to appeal, according to court records.