FROM: Candace Datcher
Director, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA
DATE: August 26, 2020
SUBJECT: Class Member Notice
James Campbell, et al. v. Sonny Perdue, Secretary, USDA 1 EEOC
No. 570-2018-00277X, Agency Case No. CRSD-2014-00665[1]
NOTICE
Pursuant to 29 C.F.R. § 1614.204(e), you are hereby notified that you have been identified as a Class Member in the above-captioned equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) class complaint (“the Class Action”). The Class Action is pending against the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA” or “the Agency”) before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The USDA Headquarters address is 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250. The Secretary of Agriculture is Sonny Perdue.
The EEOC has defined the class as follows:
From May 9, 2014, and continuing, all deaf and hard of hearing employees in USDA’s National Capital Region (NCR) who, based on their physical disability (hearing impairment), have been or will be subjected to discrimination (the denial of a reasonable accommodation, specifically, qualified sign language interpreting services), resulting from the Agency’s implementation of its decision to decentralize the system for the provision and funding of such services.
A final decision on the merits of the Class Action, or a resolution by settlement agreement of this Class Action, will be binding on all Class Members, including Class Members who have formal EEO complaints pending before the EEOC, alleging that they are deaf or hard of hearing employees in USDA’s National Capital Region who, based on their physical disability (hearing impairment), have been or will be subjected to discrimination (the denial of a reasonable accommodation, specifically, qualified sign language interpreting services) resulting from the Agency’s implementation of its decision to decentralize the system for the provision and funding of such services.
All of the Class Members in the Class Action are currently represented by the following Class Counsel:
Howard A. Rosenblum, Esq., Leah Wiederhorn, Esq., and Brittany Shrader, Esq.
National Association of the Deaf
Address:
8630 Fenton Street Suite 820
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone numbers:
301-587-1788 (ZVRS)
301-328-1443 (Sorenson)
301-338-6380 (Convo)
301-453-2390 (Purple)
TTY: 301-587-1789
Website: https://www.nad.org/
James D. Friedland
Latham & Watkins LLP
Address:
330 N Wabash Avenue
Suite 2800
Chicago, IL 60611
Telephone number: 312-876-7700
Website: https://www.lw.com/
John A. Carriel
Zelle LLP
Address:
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 375
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone number: 202-899-4100
Website: https://www.zelle.com/
For more information, please contact Mr. Rosenblum, Ms. Weiderhorn, and/or Ms. Shrader using the contact information above.
Footnote
[1] The Class Action was previously captioned with the name of the former Class Agent, Brianne Burger. The Class Action case number was previously EEOC No. 570-2015-00061X.