Montco Settles Lawsuit On Hiring Applicants With Criminal Records

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County's government has settled a lawsuit and agreed to adopt new hiring policies for applicants with criminal records.

The lawsuit was brought forth by a local woman, Kara Gannon, who has two misdemeanor charges on her record. Despite gaining a bachelor's degree in psychology and serving for years as a case manager for children, she said she was rejected from employment twice in the county because of those charges.

Under state law, convictions can only be considered when they are specifically relevant to the position in question.

“Bias against people with criminal records in the job market unfairly prevents people from rebuilding their lives, and it drags down entire communities,” Claudia De Palma, an attorney with the Public Interest Law Center who represented Gannon, said in a statement. "Montgomery County’s policy should set the tone for other employers in the state."

The county denied all wrongdoing, and pointed to "non-discriminatory" reasons for not hiring Gannon.

In the settlement agreement, signed on Nov. 7, Montgomery County's government agreed to adopt written policies that comply with Pennsylvania’s Criminal History Record Information Act. The policy will be posted on the county website and made available to all job applicants and county hiring managers.