Melanie Proctor '03 Helps Win $7.73 Million Settlement in Disability Discrimination Suit
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Melanie Proctor '03 was part of the legal team that produced a landmark consent decree to resolve allegations that the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) engaged in widespread and systemic discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Working under the direction of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Melinda Haag, Proctor was part of a team representing the United States in intervening in DFEH v. LSAC Inc., a case brought on behalf of test takers who claimed that LSAC denied legally required testing accommodations from individuals with disabilities who were taking the Law School Admissions Test.
Under the proposed consent decree, LSAC will pay $7.73 million in penalties and damages to compensate over 6,000 individuals nationwide. The decree also requires comprehensive reforms to LSAC's policies and ends its practice of "flagging," or annotating, LSAT score reports for test takers with disabilities who receive extended time as an accommodation. The reforms will impact tens of thousands of test takers with disabilities for years to come.