Even fair processes can't protect employers if discipline isn't applied consistently

Even thorough workplace investigations may not protect employers from discrimination lawsuits if discipline is applied inconsistently across racial lines.

The Fourth Circuit delivered that stark message to employers on January 6, 2026, when it revived a Black police officer's discrimination case against the Baltimore Police Department, despite the city having conducted a two-year investigation that culminated in findings against the officer at a formal hearing.

In Wanda Johnson v. Baltimore City, Maryland; Baltimore Police Department, the appeals court ruled that Wanda Johnson, an African American officer, had presented enough evidence of discriminatory treatment to proceed with her lawsuit. Johnson was forced to resign in June 2022 after an administrative trial board sustained charges that she committed assault, failed to notify supervisors, and made false statements during an internal investigation. The case stemmed from a 2018 nightclub altercation where Johnson witnessed a colleague, Sergeant Marlon Koushall, punch a woman in the face.

After Johnson testified before a grand jury in January 2019 about the incident, Internal Affairs opened an investigation into her conduct that June. Johnson later testified against Koushall at his criminal trial in fall 2019, where he was convicted of second-degree assault and misconduct in office.

The Baltimore Police Department believed it had done...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi3AFBVV95cUxQb2dfWjc4R0RXUUc0aE12R2M0...