From Fortune:



The California Civil Rights Department has filed a lawsuit against the Ralphs supermarket chain, alleging that the company violated the Fair Chance Act by screening out qualified job applicants on the basis of irrelevant criminal histories. The law, which took effect in 2018, was intended to give ex-convicts opportunities to earn a living. Employers with five or more workers are prohibited from asking applicants about their criminal histories before making job offers. The lawsuit contends that Ralphs asked job-seekers confusing and misleading questions about their criminal histories, and that most candidates who had their job offers revoked were not given an opportunity to challenge the decision as required by law. The Civil Rights Department has reached settlements with other employers in about 70 other cases alleging violations of the Fair Chance Act. Ralphs has 185 stores in California with about 25,000 employees, and this is the first lawsuit filed over the law.



Original: California sues Ralphs supermarket, alleging it broke the law by asking job-seekers about their criminal records