Two More Black Female Attorneys|Sue Atlanta Public Defender's Office

ATLANTA (CN) – Two more public defenders claim the City of Atlanta laid them off because they are black women, though it retained other attorneys with fewer qualifications and less experience. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a similar claim from five other public defenders, all of them black women.     The seven plaintiffs in the two cases say they were told the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office eliminated their positions as a reduction in force. But they say less-qualified, non-black and male employees in similar positions were retained.      The plaintiffs say the decision makers laid them off in an effort to achieve diversity in a department that was primarily made up of black and female employees.      The women are representing themselves in both lawsuits.