Wait. A Business Can Be Sued for NOT Hiring Criminals?

Many small businesses did not know it was illegal to impose a ban on hiring anybody with a criminal record.

“I was not aware of that one,” said Brian Hamilton, who owns four car dealerships in Nebraska.

By ROBB MANDELBAUM Published: June 20, 2012

In April, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission signaled that it would begin to crack down on employers who use the criminal histories of job applicants to discriminate against them illegally.

Is a candy company that gives tours to children taking a risk if it does not hire criminals?

But to judge from conversations with business owners, labor lawyers and human resources consultants, many small businesses had no idea there was anything wrong with practices like a blanket ban on hiring anybody with a criminal record.

Wait. A Business Can Be Sued for NOT Hiring Criminals?