employees settle lawsuit|[6/20/06].

Discrimination claims filed by a group of present and former employees of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center nearly 10 years ago have been resolved with a negotiated settlement.

The suit was filed as a class-action, equal employment opportunity case by 217 of black people who were employed at the agency, which was known as the Waterways Experiment Station when it was filed. The group was represented by Joseph Kaplan of Passman and Kaplan, a law firm in Washington, D.C.

Lewis Burke, lead attorney for ERDC, said the suit claimed the agency was discriminating against minorities in hiring and promotion practices because of their race.

The class claimed the discrimination took place from Jan. 15, 1997, to Feb. 25, 2005.

Burke said the settlement called for ERDC to pay $400,000. Details were not made public, but if the Washington firm took a third, which is standard, as its fee, and each plaintiff was compensated equally, shares would have been $1,230.

&#8220The agreement does not admit any discrimination,” Burke said. &#8220The agency was interested in resolving this matter to avoid protracted litigation and to achieve better employee relations. The agency believes that this resolution is a win-win situation for the employees and the agency.”

Burke further said the group is made up of present and former employees of ERDC but could not further identify them.

Kaplan could not be reached.

ERDC, created in 1928 in a compound east of Halls Ferry Road, is one of 13 Army research facilities and is composed of seven interlocking laboratories studying various topics – pavements, soils, hydraulics and several others.

In October 2006, it was announced that employees there for the eighth time in 14 years had won the top honor as the Army’s best.

ERDC also has been honored for achievement and commitment to diversity in recruiting, hiring and promotions. WES won the Chief of Engineers Equal Employment Opportunity award in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996.