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PODCAST · 13 JUNE 2024

Righting A Wrong: Putting An End To A Discriminatory Hair Test (Podcast)

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WilmerHale's London office was established more than 40 years ago. With lawyers qualified in the...

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In this episode of In the Public Interest, podcast co-host Felicia Ellsworth sits down with WilmerHale Partner Lisa Pirozzolo to discuss a pro bono matter in which the City of Boston...

United StatesLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Lisa Pirozzolo
Lisa Pirozzolo
Felicia H. Ellsworth
Felicia H. Ellsworth
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In this episode of In the Public Interest, podcast co-host Felicia Ellsworth sits down with WilmerHale Partner Lisa Pirozzolo to discuss a pro bono matter in which the City of Boston agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle a longstanding federal discrimination lawsuit. The lawsuit, which was initially filed nearly 20 years ago, alleged that a hair test used by the city to identify drug use on its police force was discriminatory, unreliable and scientifically flawed.

Ellsworth and Pirozzolo are joined by two of the plaintiffs in the case, Keri Hogan and William Bridgeforth ("Bridgy"), as well as Oren Sellstrom, Litigation Director at Lawyers for Civil Rights, who, alongside WilmerHale, represented the plaintiffs in this matter.

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