California Sues Ralphs Grocery for Alleged Fair Chance Act Violations

Supermarket chain accused of illegally asking job applicants about criminal histories, marking the first lawsuit over the 2018 law.

California's Civil Rights Department has sued Ralphs Grocery, alleging the supermarket chain violated the state's Fair Chance Act by asking job applicants about their criminal histories and rejecting hundreds of applicants on this basis.
The Fair Chance Act, which came into effect in 2018, prohibits employers from asking about a job applicant's criminal history before making a job offer.
Ralphs is accused of providing a 'confusing and misleading' application form that sought disclosure of applicants' criminal histories, and of not providing a way for applicants to challenge a decision to revoke a job offer, as required by law.
Between 2018 and 2022, more than 70% of California applicants answered the question about their criminal history, according to the lawsuit.
This is the first lawsuit filed over the Fair Chance Act, although the Civil Rights Department has reached settlements with other employers in about 70 other cases alleging violations.