In May, United States District Judge Denny Chin approved the settlement of a class action alleging discrimination and retaliation by the New York City Parks Department and black and hispanic employees. JAMS Neutral retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen A. Roberts was instrumental in helping the parties broker their settlement which ends more than seven years of litigation and provides payment of $11.9 million to approximately 3,500 class members. Judge Chin found that the final settlement and preceding lawsuits have resulted in substantial improvements for employees within the New York City Parks Department. The Parks Department denied that it had engaged in unlawful discrimination or retaliation and implemented a number of reforms prior to the settlement as part of management’s ongoing commitment to equal opportunity for all Parks Department employees.

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John Wilkinson, Esq., a mediator and arbitrator with JAMS, the nation’s largest private provider of ADR services, has been named a Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee within the New York State Bar Association’s Section on Dispute Resolution. The NYSBA’s Section on Dispute Resolution was recently created in response to the rapidly expanding use of ADR services to resolve civil disputes.

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